Answer this...

Scholarship allows other women to get into this...

Recognizing there are many women interested in pursuing careers in the automotive industry, NASCAR and the UTI Foundation established the Brienne Davis Scholarship Fund for women seeking an automotive technical education. Davis, who graduated at the top of her class at UTI and went on to become a NASCAR Sprint Cup official, died tragically earlier this year at age 28, and is honored by this scholarship created to encourage women to seek a career in the automotive industry.

The Brienne Davis Scholarship Fund is intended to provide an opportunity for a qualified female student who wishes to attend the NASCAR Technical Automotive Program at the UTI's NASCAR Technical Institute in Mooresville, N.C. Each year a $10,000 scholarship will be presented to one student to attend NASCAR Tech.

Quoting this...
"NASCAR is proud to be able to honor the memory of Brienne as one of its shining stars who dedicated her time and energy to serving the sport in various roles. In doing so we also open additional opportunities for women to follow in Brienne's path and learn valuable skills through the NASCAR Technical Institute and pursue their career goals."
- Odis Lloyd, Managing Director, Automotive Aftermarket at NASCAR

The inaugural scholarship was made possible by proceeds raised through an online auction of the NASCAR Performance Show Car during The NASCAR Foundation's initiatives for NASCAR Day 2008. At this year's event, NASCAR enthusiasts were invited to make monetary contributions and bid on the NASCAR Performance Show Car donated to The NASCAR Foundation by NASCAR's Automotive Aftermarket Department.  Every dollar of the $16,000 winning bid for the car has been designated for the Brienne Davis Scholarship Fund.

Future years of the program will rely on funding through charitable contributions made to the UTI Foundation and The NASCAR Foundation.

TGOM's Afterthought on this...
It's not that I don't applaud this effort, but I have to wonder if NASCAR really making strides for women in the sport--and not just because of Mauricia Grant's recent discrimination lawsuit. On top of that, TGOM knows of another female member of the NASCAR family who is very unhappy with Mike Helton and other powers that be for their failure to deliver on several promises. She told them as much in a recent letter, while reminding them how loyal she's been to the sport by declining comment to the media on the aforementioned lawsuit.Time will tell if her situation improves or if she will determine contiued participation futile and decide to blow the whistle on the farce that NASCAR calls their "diversity" program.

NHMS: Rain, bumpin' and mis-spotting at this...

Race winner Kurt Busch and wife Eva (AP Photo/Tim Boyd)

Kurt Busch won a rain-shortened race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, leading an unlikely top-finishing five:
2. Michael Waltrip
3. J.J. Yeley
4. Martin Truex Jr.
5. Elliott Sadler

Just announced Hendrick Motorsports lame duck driver Casey Mears led more laps in the LENOX Industrial 301 than he has all season and enjoyed his third 7th place finish. Kyle Busch is still the series points leader; the top six positions in the standings remain unchanged.

Where's Your Head Spotter At?

The accident that sent all the leaders to the pits happened on lap 271 when Dale Earnhardt Jr., dropped down out of the groove to pit. Jamie McMurray didn't see Earnhardt and smashed the rear end of Junior's car, which spun down pit road. McMurray's car careened across the race track and collected the side of David Ragan's car, spinning him around.

What up, spotters?

Quoting Jamie McMurray on this...

"Typically when guys pit like that the spotters all get together and wave their hands or what not and the spotter never said anything and I was looking at the 10 car [of Patrick Carpentier] on the outside. I was on the apron because that's where I'd been running all day.  I didn't see Junior until I hit him."

Intentional Foul

Juan Pablo Montoya turned Kyle Busch around under caution and received a two lap penalty for "aggressive driving."

Infineon: Unofficial news and rumors of this...

Grid Lip Lock In Victory Lane

Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Toyota, celebrates his first road course win in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with girlfriend Samantha Sarcinella at Infineon Raceway - June 22, 2008 in Sonoma, Calif.  Photo: Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

Not News: Kyle Busch wins a race.
News: The fans booed cheered!

Not News: Tony Stewart gets annoyed with media in post-race interview.
News: Stewart exercises restraint commenting on an incident.

VIDEO: Tony Stewart post-race interview with TNT's Marty Snyder

Toyota/Save Mart 350 Race Results | Driver Standings

Let Silly Season Begin

Rick Hendrick is non-committal about (soon-to-be-daddy) Casey Mears' future beyond this season. Mark Martin is not returning to DEI. Some are already speculating that Martin is headed to HMS to split the season in the #5 with JR Motorsports' Nationwide Series star Brad Keselowski. Others think the #5 will carry Martin Truex Jr.'s name on it. I'm sure MTJ has plenty of options--maybe he'll shed some light on his future in his press conference scheduled for Tuesday.

Question of the Week
What is DEI's contingency plan? Think they're panicking yet?

Dale Jr. takes the checkers on fumes at this...

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. celebrates with his crew in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Lifelock 400 at the Michigan International Speedway on June 15, 2008 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

After a two-year winless streak, Dale Earnhardt Jr. won under caution at the end of a nail-biting fuel mileage race Sunday at Michigan International Speedway. A gamble on fuel paid off but not without causing a great deal of agitation for the driver before the race was won. Ditto for the spotter, per usual.

Best in-car audio: "You're annoying the f*** out of me. You gotta know that's f***ing annoying."

And yes, ladies, to address your endless inquiries, there's still a vacancy in victory lane in the spot marked "girlfriend."

Results | Standings

Logano learns hat dance early on in career in this...

Joey Logano switches hats for victory lane photos. Photo: AP Photo/Ed Reinke

In only his third career start, Joey Logano became the youngest racecar driver to win in NASCAR Nationwide Series history at 18 years and 21 days.

Quoting this...
"It's definitely awesome. We didn't unload this morning the way we wanted to. (Crew chief) Dave (Rogers) and the guys never gave up. They worked hard on it and changed everything. That last pit stop we got it about right. Overall, it was a pretty good night."

NASCAR's France: If only we'd known about this...

NASCAR Chairman Brian France weighs in on the racial discrimination and sexual harassment lawsuit brought against NASCAR by Mauricia Grant.

NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France addresses the media

"We haven't completed our investigation. It is still ongoing. Obviously we found some violations of our policy. I would not jump to conclusions to assume that all of the allegations that were made over the many months that the plaintiff has made against us are accurate. I would be very, very cautious in making a leap of faith, even if we take action on any official in this investigation.

"The most disappointing thing to me is that we found out about these alleged claims after you did in the media via a national lawsuit that seeks a lot of money. That's very disappointing because if any of those claims turn out to be accurate and have substance, we would have liked to have known about that two years ago so that we could have reacted and done something about it -- because it's inconsistent with anything, from a policy standpoint, about how a work environment for our officials should be.

"She just didn't report anything to anybody. It was quite the opposite. She was very pleased with her colleagues and most of the comments that we have heard are that she liked her job, enjoyed being there, liked the camaraderie with the other officials. We just haven't had anyone who reported a claim. We have not found it yet.

"The other reality is there is a very clear process that you go through if you feel there is any discrimination by NASCAR. And everybody in the company knows what it is. They have been trained to observe it and make sure that the proper officials within the company are notified. Any employee who has an issue can e-mail me directly. They can certainly go to HR. There are dozens of ways to report such an incident, and it just didn't get reported.

"Some of these claims go back years or longer in the past. So here again, it is very, very disappointing that was not brought to our attention -- if these claims actually happened. If they would have been brought to our attention right when they happened, we could have investigated it right then and taken any action that we needed to. It just didn't happen. She chose to make this about money and about a lawsuit -- and we'll deal with that. That's the nature of the court system."

So ... just to recap ... this "violated" official spent two years keeping a meticulously documented diary of offenses for a future lawsuit, but was not significantly bothered to the point of filing a formal complaint with her employer.

Mauricia Grant v. National Association for Stock Car Racing, Inc. (PDF)

NASCAR officials fired for overexposure to this...

Two NASCAR officials have been suspended following allegations in the Mauricia Grant lawsuit:

ESPN - Tim Knox and Bud Moore have been placed on indefinite administrative paid leave.

NASCAR will not reveal the identities of the officials sent home Friday from Kentucky Speedway, but a person familiar with the investigation confirmed to AP on Saturday that Knox and Moore were suspended. The person requested anonymity because NASCAR's investigation is ongoing.

NASCAR did not give a reason for the men's suspension. NASCAR chairman Brian France was expected to address the investigation later Saturday at Michigan International Speedway, site of Sunday's Cup Series race.

Specific allegations from Mauricia Grant's lawsuit against this...

• From approximately January 2005 through her unlawful termination on or about October 27, 2007, Jim Cassidy, Joe Balash, Scott French, Mike Dolan, Star George, Jay Altizer, Craig Anderson, Jason Brownlow, Jason Covel, Jonathon Dickerson, Dennis Dillon, David Duke, Mike Dumas, Dan Fenwrick, Shaun Johnson, Tim Knox, Rick Noble, Alan Shepard, Walt Sova, Mike Weddle, Bill Whelan, Dennis Wodzewoda, Mike Wilford and/or other NASCAR Directors, Supervisors, Managers and Officials subjected Plaintiff MAURICIA GRANT to an ongoing pattern of racial and sexual harassment and discrimination because she is a Black woman.
• During that period from approximately January 2005 until her unlawful termination on or about October 27, 2007, approximately daily during the NASCAR Busch Series season, Plaintiff MAURICIA GRANT was subjected to inappropriate sexual comments by her male supervisors, including Assistant Director Mike Dolan, and her male co-workers, including Officials David Duke, Tim Knox and Bud Moore. Furthermore, some of these vulgar remarks were loudly made in the presence of NASCAR Directors, including NASCAR Busch Series Director Joe Balash and NASCAR Open Wheel Series Director Scott French. However, nothing was done to discourage or stop this sexual harassment.
• Throughout her employment from approximately January 2005 until her unlawful termination on or about October 27, 2007, approximately weekly during the NASCAR Busch Series season, White Officials including David Duke and Bud Moore made lewd sexual advances to Plaintiff MAURCIA GRANT, commenting: "Let me see your tits!" and "Do you wanna see my dick?" Plaintiff MAURICIA GRANT repeatedly declined these invitations, letting them know that she was not interested.
• On or about the week of July 7, 2007 while they were working at the Daytona International Speedway, White Official Bud Moore asked Plaintiff MAURICIA GRANT how it felt to be Black. When Plaintiff responded that being Black is "a privilege," Bud Moore looked aghast and asked her: "How could you possibly feel that being Black is a privilege?" When Plaintiff MAURICIA GRANT was non-responsive, Moore feigned exaggerated confusion, wondering aloud in Plaintiff's presence: "How can she be proud of being Black?"
• During approximately the week of April 14, 2007, at a work gathering initiated by NASCAR Busch Series Director Joe Balash in the hospitality suite of their hotel following a race in Texas, Official Tim Knox exposed his penis in Plaintiff MAURICIA GRANT's presence.
  
• During approximately the week of October 28, 2006, Plaintiff MAURICIA GRANT and some co-workers were in the lounge of the hotel where we stayed while working at Memphis Motor Speedway in Memphis, Tennessee. Suddenly, Official Bud Moore came out of his room wearing only a towel, and called out: "Mo, do you want to see my dick?" Bud Moore then opened his towel and ducked behind a trash can. The other male Officials, including David Duke and Jason "Pee Wee" Covel, laughed.

If Brian France and Helton are looking to avoid further actions detrimental to stock car racing, they ought to be handing out a few more pink slips. And if they want anyone to believe they take discrimination and harassment seriously, the next one should go to Balash. Wouldn't hurt for 'em to reach for that checkbook sooner than later either.

Mauricia Grant v. National Association for Stock Car Racing, Inc. (PDF)

Helton to Drivers: Stop Whining About this...

NASCAR President Mike Helton held a closed-door meeting with the drivers Friday morning. Apparently, the drivers running their mouths and complaining over the heat inside their racecars during the 400 mile Pocono race--and other issues with the COT--is bad for business.

Opinions on this...

Jeff Gordon
"I think it was a closed door meeting and I wish they would have more of them to be honest with you. I wish we had more meetings like that but I don't think they are meetings that need to be discussed. If you want to get that from other drivers then get that from other drivers. I hope those meetings turn into something on a more regular basis and that we can have input into it. I think the only way we can do that is to not necessarily make those meetings public."

Hmmm. Future NASCAR employee toeing the company line?

Carl Edwards
"That's just Helton reminding us that we've got it pretty good and you've got to be careful when you start complaining and whining and acting like things aren't that great. It's detrimental to all of us and to the sport. So, he was just making us aware of the weight of our comments and you've got to take a moment and think about what we have here. And I think that's a good little wake-up call there.

"I can understand their position. We've got it pretty good here. This is what I signed up for. And I think all of us, when we think back about where we started, we signed up to be race-car drivers, and part of that the car doesn't handle real well, and sometimes the car is hot, sometimes you're uncomfortable. It's kind of what they pay us for, to so that job. So, that's what I got from that meeting. I think that's fair."

In other words, shut the f*** up, drivers. If the car is too hot, get over it. You're a racecar driver. Sometimes racecars get hot. Man up.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

"My interpretation was that the drivers should be thankful for the position they're in and should be more positive in where this car is going to be in a year or two. It reminds me a lot of working with video game developers. The reason why the analogy works is because the public wants to know how good the game is. The public wants to know what's being fixed. Once the game is released there's a lot of bugs and stuff, just like with this race car. And the public wants to know when is it going to be fixed and what's being worked on and what's going to be added. And a lot of companies are not eager to give that information out until it's done and finished.

"And I see NASCAR with that same attitude. I think that they do a lot of work behind the scenes and they probably agree with us more than we tend to believe. And they understand that the car is new and it's going to evolve and we're going to learn more. So I think they're doing more than we give them credit for. They're thinking and working and trying and wanting to improve; and that us drivers should do less complaining."

TGOM
"I think Helton seized an opportunity to divert attention from something else that's bad for business--a lil' ol' $225 million racial discrimination and sexual harassment lawsuit--by giving the media something else to talk to the drivers about. Well played."

See also: Mauricia Grant v. National Association for Stock Car Racing, Inc. (PDF)