RACING HIGHLIGHTS
CUP - Kevin Harvick won his first road course race. His wife Delana was not in attendance as she doesn't go to road course races. Kevin gave her a shout out in victory lane.
Post race quote from this...
"I want to say hi to my wife, DeLana. She stays home for the road course races, so Love you DeLana, sorry you aren't here. I'll be home late tonight."
Unofficial Standings:

NCTS - Winner: Johnny Benson
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MRS. MICHAEL WALTRIP
NASCAR Wife, Executive and Owner Buffy Waltrip Adds Spokesmodel To Her List of Titles
Michael Waltrip is a marketing machine and in the eye of the public constantly, but he isn't the only one. His wife, Buffy, is a recognizable personality too that continues to use her marketability to deliver sponsor messages to fans in the NASCAR community. Buffy's most recent project includes modeling and advertising jewelry via billboards and catalogs for Fink's Jewelers, a Virginia-based company that also services North Carolina.
"For more than 75 years, Fink's has offered exquisite jewelry to their customers," said Waltrip. "They are not only known for their beautiful jewelry, but also for their dedication to their customers by featuring all types of collections from many well known designers."
Fink's Jewelers welcomed the idea of having Waltrip as their spokesmodel.
"In
our 76 year history as a third generation jeweler, it did not occur to Fink's Jewelers to have a spokesperson," Marc Fink, President and CEO of Fink's Jewelers stated. "Buffy is very innovative and approached me on the subject in early 2005. Our partnership with Buffy Waltrip
continues to thrive. Most recently we paired Buffy with Carl F. Bucherer, an independent international high-quality watch brand produced in Switzerland. Buffy is a progressive, modern woman with a
very active lifestyle which complements both the Fink's and Carl F. Bucherer brands."
Carl F. Bucherer has also incorporated Waltrip into their promotional campaign.
"We are excited to engage in the relationship with Buffy as an additional component to promote the brand Carl F. Bucherer and Fink's Jewelers in
the Charlotte area and NASCAR community," Ron Stoll, President and CEO of Carl F. Bucherer adds. "The Carl F. Bucherer international brand campaign focuses on people who don't go with the times and we feel Buffy exudes our image."
Recently during a photo shoot for the Fink's Jewelers 2006 Christmas catalog in New York, Waltrip was presented with a Carl F. Bucherer watch by Ron Stoll, CEO for the North America Division of Carl F. Bucherer and Mark Bair, Vice President of Operations for Fink's Jewelers.
"Ron Stoll offered for me to wear one of their premium watches," Waltrip said. "Ron's testing the waters and allowing me to wear the watch. They have a unique line of exceptional timepieces that are available at Fink's Jewelers."
Waltrip's vision has been to bring fine jewelry to the forefront of the NASCAR community.
"Since Fink's has stores in North Carolina, I wanted to help them reach out to people in the racing community," Waltrip said. "We were able to provide jewelry for many women of NASCAR during the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series championship banquet, which was a highlight for us. We are also able to create social events for women and men in the sport. It has been exciting for me because we are able to offer top-notch customer service to go with beautiful men's jewelry and women's jewelry."
Waltrip supports her husband who is constantly in the spotlight and is humbled
by the opportunities she has received due to his success as a team
owner and driver in NASCAR's premiere divisions.
"Because of
Michael, it's been great to have these wonderful opportunities,"
Waltrip said. "I'm passionate about what I represent and I hope to
continue more work along these lines."
Buffy Waltrip said it is important to show fans that NASCAR drivers have real lives.
"They
want to know who the driver is married to, they want to know what
they're like and how many kids do they have," she said, during a
cellphone interview while she drove her daughter to school one morning
last week. "We're pretty normal people. Our lives mirror mainstream
America maybe more than other entertainment industry does."
The
Waltrips live at Lake Norman in North Carolina, and Buffy Waltrip runs
Michael Waltrip Racing. With a degree in marketing, she said she jumped
into the role of advertising her husband's success when they got
married 13 years ago. But she's never been a model.
"That's not
really what it's about," she said. "It's about the relationships in
NASCAR. My face just represents the NASCAR wives. [www.michaelwaltrip.com]
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NASCAR WOMEN ON A MISSION
Ann Schrader, wife of Air Force sponsored NASCAR driver Ken Schrader, and the Women's Auxiliary of Motorsports (WAM) are lending their support to Operation DVD, which donates entertainment material to members of the military overseas and their families back home.
Operation DVD, which is run by the AMVETS veterans organization, collects new and used DVDs and sends them to soldiers stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as to those staging in Kuwait and recuperating at Department of Defense hospitals.
When not on duty, there is not much to do (even baseball and softball games are no longer possible because of snipers, mines, bombs and other terrorist activities). Watching DVDs provides a safe wonderful diversion and good memories of home.
Quoting this...
Ann Schrader: "This is a great opportunity to support our troops who are out there fighting for us. You put NASCAR behind something and everybody pays attention, so that was my goal. Where Junior is, people will follow. Those guys are over there risking their lives and this is just a small token to let them know we are thinking of them."
Schrader first heard of Operation DVD while touring bases in conjunction with her husband's sponsorship with the Air Force. She liked the idea immediately and said she had no trouble selling others in the racing community.
Drivers whose cars carry the decals of armed services' branches were particularly easy to persuade, said Schrader, who hopes to hold a mass autograph session in the fall - as soon as she can arrange a suitable date in the Nextel Cup Series' hectic schedule.
"Every one of them said, 'Whatever we need to do, just tell me when and where,'" Schrader said.
Both Schrader and [Founder Steve] Hallaway said the effort to reach racing fans will likely pick up speed when specially designed collection boxes are in place at tracks, scheduled to begin Aug. 20 in Michigan.
Once word spreads, Hallaway said it won't be hard to convince potential donors this is a worthy cause.
"It makes people feel good," he said. "A lot of people go to Wal-Mart and they buy all these DVDs and then they watch them once and then they never watch them again."
Receiving the movies, which arrive in individual shipments every three weeks, can make a dramatic difference in deployed soldiers' morale, he added. Often, they have little to nothing to do between patrols, and even stepping outside briefly could put them at risk of sniper attacks, Hallaway said.
The experience has been rewarding for Hallaway, who grew up in Caldwell County and said his family has a tradition of supporting the troops.
"It's very gratifying to see something like this come together, because it will continue long after I’m dead," he said. [www.independenttribune.com, Aug. 9, 2006]
WAM's goal is to collect a minimum of 1,000,000 new and used DVDs.
Once the DVD's are received overseas, at least 250 films will be in
rotation at each base in Iraq and Afghanistan. With a constant rotation
of soldiers and new films being donated, it will be almost impossible
to run out of films.
DVD's
can be new or gently used. Motivational, inspirational and especially
films that inspire a sense of family and moral values. (No "Adult"
titles please.) Music CD's are also appreciated. Children's titles
will be distributed here in the States to familes with someone serving
overseas.
On behalf of the tallglassofmilk and Answer this... readers and contributors, the following will be donated at the California race:
- 3 - The Dale Earnhardt Story
- 10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America
- A Little Thing Called Murder
- Ambulance Girl
- Barbershop The Series (The Complete Season)
- Beyoncé: An Entertainment Special
- CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (The Complete First, Second and Third seasons)
- CSI: Miami (The Complete First and Second seasons)
- CSI: New York (The Complete First Season)
- Discovery Channel titles: The Deadliest Catch, The First Emperor: The Man Who Made China, Going Tribal, Return To Flight: The Shuttle Takes To Space, Trail Mix, Medical Maverick, Rebuilt: The Human Body Shop
- Gunsmoke: The 50th Anniversary Collection Volumes I and II (27 episodes from 19 seasons)
- Have Gun Will Travel (The Complete Third Season)
- Henry Rollins: Uncut From NYC
- Hogan's Heroes (The Complete First Season)
- Huff (The Complete First Season and 6 Episodes of the Second Season)
- Human Trafficking mini-series
- I Love Lucy (The Complete Third and Fourth Seasons)
- Into The West mini-series
- Knights of the South Bronx
- McCartney in St. Petersburg
- Rawhide (The Complete First Season)
- The Ten Commandments mini-series (ABC, 2006)
- The Triangle mini-series
- Viva Blackpool mini-series
- Wanderlust
- Select episodes of 30 Days, Battlestar Galactica, Biography, Black. White., Boston Legal, The Colbert Reports, Cold Case FIles, Conviction, Criss Angel: Mindfreak, Crossing Jordan, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Dog The Bounty Hunger, Dr. 90210, Everybody Hates Chris, The Girls Next Door, God or the Girl, The Henry Rollins Show, House, Intervention, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Las Vegas, Last Call with Carson Daly, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Lisa Loeb: #1 Single, Medium, The Mind of Mencia, Monk, Nip/Tuck, Penn & Teller: Bullshit, Reno 911, Rescue Me, Rollergirls, Saturday Night Live, The Shield, The Showbiz Show with David Spade, Sons & daughters, Teachers, Thief, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, True Hollywood Stories
If you would like to donate DVD's, please send them to: WAM, Inc., 41 Odell School Rd., Ste. K, Concord, NC 28027 or AMVETS, Operation DVD, 1395 E Dublin-Granville #222, Columbus, OH 43229.
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RACING TOWARD A FUND-RAISING RECORD
Answer this... readers were introduced to Miss North Carolina Teen USA 2006 Melissa Lingafelt in May when she appeared in an autographed photo on Tony Stewart's dash at Charlotte in May.
This... is what she was up to:

Photo: John D. Simmons
For N.C. teen, charity is more than a pit stop en route to big pageant
The Miss Teen USA pageant isn't until Tuesday night, but contestant
Melissa Lingafelt of Concord has already made a big impression.
"She has done what no other contestant has done before," says DeAnn Lubell, who works with the pageant's charity project, Angel View Crippled Children's Foundation.
What
Lingafelt has done is find a way to focus national attention on one of
the 55-year-old pageant's lesser known events, a charity auction. Each
contestant must contribute, and Lingafelt set the ambitious goal of
bringing a NASCAR helmet autographed by drivers in May's Coca-Cola 600.
Three
months and 43 signatures later, she has that prized helmet in hand.
It's up for bids on eBay -- a first for contestants -- and she's
promoting it with radio and TV interviews, as well as partnerships with
NASCAR-related Web sites and message boards.
Experts in NASCAR
memorabilia say it could bring as much as $5,000, which would be the
most earned by a Miss Teen USA contestant. If that happens, the auction
will surely best last year's total of $15,000, says Lubell, noting
Angel View has been the official charity for the past three years.
"For
her to actually go around and get each one of the 43 drivers to sign
the helmet is a feat in itself," says Lubell. "This young lady is
sincerely focused on the meaning of charity and giving back to those in
need."
Lingafelt accomplished this without a driver's license.
She is in most respects a typical 16-year-old girl, with soft spots for
ice cream and cheese pizza, and aspirations of stardom as an actress.
Winning
Miss Teen USA would help her accomplish that with scholarship money.
However, even if she doesn't win, the auction has given her a dual
sense of accomplishment in promoting both Angel View and her hometown
of Concord.
"Instead of thinking of this as a pageant
obligation, I thought of it more as a personal obligation," says
Lingafelt. "Angel View is asking for help, so that these children who
are disabled can live their lives as normally as possible. That means
something to me. I didn't want to bring any old item to the auction and
hope I got $100 for it."
Plus, she says, "I live 10 minutes from
Lowe's Motor Speedway and I couldn't think of anything better than a
NASCAR item from the NASCAR capital."
It took her just an hour
to get all the autographs, she says. However, getting in the right spot
at the Coca-Cola 600 involved putting together a puzzle of favors that
started when her dad, Ken Lingafelt, called a friend at The Wood
Brothers/JTG Race team in Harrisburg.
By race time, Melissa
Lingafelt had finagled her way to a stage door that each driver had to
pass through before going out to wave to the crowd.
"I just
stood there, I explained what I was doing and got their autograph. They
were all really nice about it, especially Jeff Gordon," she says.
"I
think the biggest key to success in life in general is just to talk to
people and ask questions. So many people are scared of being turned
down, so they don't ask, or they don't ask enough. I just asked and got
it done."
Lingafelt showed similar confidence about the pageant
itself, claiming she would use humor to cut through the tension. Her
comic timing was credited with helping her win the Miss Teen North
Carolina pageant last year, where she got judges laughing with tales of
her failed attempts to get a learner's permit.
No matter what
happens Tuesday, Lingafelt says one thing is for sure. "I'm going to
eat an entire Papa John's cheese pizza when it's over. I've been on a
strict protein diet for the swimsuit competition. That's the first
place I'm headed."
Big moment: The Miss Teen USA pageant, 8 to 10 p.m., Tuesday, on NBC.
Family: Parents Ken and Miki Lingafelt, brother Kyle and sister MaKenzie
School: A home-schooled 11th-grader.
Hobbies:
An avid reader and computer lover, Melissa has delved into Web and
graphic design. She also enjoys freelance makeup artistry, and has
competed in singing and dancing competitions. At age 12, she was chosen
to sing the national anthem for President Bush at a Charlotte campaign
rally for Elizabeth Dole.
Typical meal in recent weeks: Grilled
chicken, with no salt or seasoning, a plain baked potato, a gallon of
water a day and salads with a tablespoon of dressing. She was also
allowed to eat steak with no seasoning.
The auction: Visit www.ebay.com and search for NASCAR helmets under sports memorabilia. [The Charlotte Observer, Aug. 12, 2006]
Flickr: Slideshow
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QUICK PIT
Bruna Oliveira, girlfriend of AllState 400 winning crew chief Chad Knaus, got to take a victory lap around Indy.
At dusk last Sunday, as the security guards at Indianapolis Motor Speedway looked the other way, Chad Knaus sneaked a car onto the racetrack and took a slow lap with his girlfriend, Bruna Oliveira, and a few buddies. [The New York Times, Aug. 13, 2006]
Quoting this...
Bruna: "It was the perfect ending to the best weekend."
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THE GLEN MOST FAQs
Q. Do you have any update on Tony Stewart from last week?
A. No.
Q. Who was the girl in Robby Gordon's pit on Saturday?
A. Haven't ID'd her yet, but have reason to believe it could be Miss Shana Prevette. A friend of a team member.
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RANDOM PERIODIC FAQs
Q. What became of Jeremy Mayfield's first wife, Christina?
A. She is remarried and currently resides in Michigan.
Q. Is J Mac still dating Christy?
A. Yes.
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SILLY SEASON UPDATES
Jeremy Mayfield has been terminated by Evernham Motorsports.
Quoting this...
Ray Evernham: "[Mayfield] has been terminated, and I honestly don't want to discuss the terms with that. When the performance is not up to par, it's frustrating on both sides. The decision was made because of the performance of the car. There was certainly frustration, and we weren't pleased with some of the comments that were made. But in no way was that the reason for the change. We just need a guy -- or a girl -- who can run that car in 20th or 25th position. [NASCAR.com, Aug. 11, 2006]Jeremy reportedly learned he was out when he received a call from NASCAR.com asking for a comment. Sources told TGOM that a special team meeting was held Tuesday morning at EMS Headquarters in Statesville, N.C. during which all of the drivers and crew members were advised of Jeremy's fate.
Quoting this...
Jeremy Mayfield: It's a big shock, for sure -- especially the way it happened. You just have to move on, to keep going forward. We'll move on from here, and we certainly appreciate all the support that we've been hearing about from our fans. That means more than I could ever say."
Shana Mayfield: "It's a shock. We can't really comment on a lot of the details and we don't really want to, but it happened and we're dealing with it... We want to tell all the fans that we will be back. It may be sooner rather than later, we don't really know right now. But we appreciate the way that the fans have stood beside us through all of that. We're going to take some time, now, to finish up the house and to gather our thoughts and go on from here."Mayfield filed a temporary restraining order and injunction against EMS, but the two parties reached a settlement agreement on Friday afternoon. Details have not yet been released and neither party is talking until they're signed on the dotted line. Jeremy is still represented on the EMS website, but his name has already been removed from the company's letterhead.
Rumors are circulating that Elliott Sadler will be behind the wheel of the #19 as early as next week. Sadler's last race in the Robert Yates Racing #38 Ford will presumably be August 26 at Bristol (or sooner). David Gilliland is expected to take over M&Ms team driving duties starting Labor Day weekend in California for the remainder of the season, with the exception of Talladega as he has not yet been cleared by NASCAR to race on a superspeedway. RYR is reportedly talking to none other than Jeremy Mayfield to fill-in that weekend.
- Mark McFarland has been released from the JR Motorsports #88 Navy Chevrolet.
Quoting this...
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: "Mark was instrumental in getting our Busch program off the ground and he will always have a role in the history of JR Motorsports. But the reality is that as a business we have the responsibility of delivering a level of performance for our sponsors. This change is being made to address that concern."
Martin Truex Jr. climbed in the #88 for this weekend's road course race. Robby Gordon is expected to drive in Michigan and California with JRM driver Shane Huffman taking the wheel for the remainder of the season. Dale Jr. and DEI are negotiating their future together--the current contract is up at the end of the 2007 season.
Quoting this...
Dale Jr.: "I haven't really messed with it here in the last month but we've got plenty of time to sort that out. They're showing what they want and we're showing what we want and we'll all have to kind of continue to compromise and I think that's going really well."
DEI Director of Motorsports Richie Gilmore: "We talk about it all the time," Gilmore said. "It's different when you work on his contract because it's business, it's family. It's very complicated when you work with Dale Jr. and Teresa because there's so many different parts to it. It's his dad's business and it's complicated. I know Teresa wants it to be Dale Jr.'s and Kelley's and Kerry's someday because that's what Dale built it for and that's in the long-term plans. Never mix business and family and when you do, you let the family handle it. [St. Petersburg Times, Aug. 8, 2006]Drivers looking for this...
Seeking Cup ride for 2007: Ward Burton, Ricky Craven, Jason Jarrett, Jeremy Mayfield, Steve Park, Elliott Sadler, Jimmy Spencer and Mike WallaceSeeking Busch ride: Tim Andrews, Casey Atwood, Brad Baker, Austin Cameron, Tim Fedewa, Blake Fees, A.J. Foyt IV, Tina Gordon, Steve Grissom, Shane Hall, Ryan Hemphill, Jason Jarrett, Eric Jones, Jason Keller, Travis Kittleson, Justin Labonte, Jody Lavender, Mark McFarland, Brandon Miller, Nate Monteith, Billy Parker, Hank Parker Jr., Shawna Robinson, Brian Tyler, Tyler Walker, Gus Wasson and Chris Wimmer
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Quoting this...
Max Papis: "One thing I discovered recently is that nothing is going to top the birth of my son; that's the best thing that's ever happened in my life. It gave me more motivation to be out there on the racetrack. One day I want to take Marco into the winner's circle with me. I hope it happens soon." [The Miami Herald, Aug. 11, 2006)
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Upgrading the conditions of this...
- Bobby Hamilton's last check up revealed he is cancer-free. Still, the ordeal has been tough on Bobby Jr.
Quoting this...
Stephanie Hamilton: "[It] has really been hard for him. He keeps his feelings inside. He doesn't talk much about it or show a lot of emotion, but I can tell that watching his father go through this has really affected him. He has seen some members of my family battle cancer and he knows how hard it is. With his dad being a celebrity, Little Bobby has to keep answering media questions about his condition." [The Tennessean, Aug. 12, 2006] - Champ Car driver Cristiano da Matta remains in intensive care a week after his freak collision with a deer on the Road America track in Neenah, Wis, but his condition is improving steadily.
The RuSPORT team issued a statement that said this..."Cristiano's recovery from his head injury continues on a positive trend while still in the intensive care unit at Theda Clark Medical Center. Most of his sedation has been removed and he now is moving all of his extremities spontaneously as well as in response to physical stimulation. We are pleased with Cristiano's progress so far and are hopeful he will continue daily improvement."Concerned fans should send a donation in his name to Hole in the Wall Camps, an official Champ Car charity, in lieu of flowers or gifts.
Get well cards for da Matta can be sent to:
Cristiano da Matta, patient
Theda Clark Medical Center
130 2nd St.
Neenah, WI 54956Quoting the DaMatta family on this...
"We have already received an incredible amount of cards, emails, letters and gifts from all over the world, and we would like to thank everyone very much. The love and support that we have been given during this very difficult time has been very helpful to the family, and we know Cristiano would appreciate it, as well. It has been very uplifting to see so much caring from so many people. The care here at Theda Clark continues to be excellent, and we are very grateful to everyone involved in Cristiano's care for all of their help. To all of Cristiano’s fans, we want to say thank you from the bottom of our hearts."+ + +
Bidding on this...
To kick-off ticket sales for the upcoming 7th Annual Celebrity/Sports Auction, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has donated the pajamas he wore in the Gillette Young Guns "Prank" commercial for auction on eBay. The 10-day auction began Aug. 8 at 8PM PT and will end Aug. 18 at 8 PM PT. Proceeds from the online auction will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Central and Western North Carolina, one of Dale Jr.'s charities of choice.
The red-dyed GAP t-shirt/flannel pajamas feature the number "8" on the left breast with Dale Jr.'s signature in black. The pants have an elastic waistband with drawstrings in the front and both items are size large. The commercial can be viewed at www.gilletteyoungguns.com.
The Dale Jr. Celebrity/Sports Auction will take place on Tuesday, October 24, 2006, in the Grand Ballroom of the Westin Hotel in Uptown Charlotte. Only 750 tickets for the event will be sold and are available through www.celebritysportsauction.com. Tickets are first-come, first-served and, due to catering deadlines, will not be available at the door.
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In case you missed this...
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" (airdate: 8.9.06)
- Gibbs: Father, son relish time together
- Unser: Auto racing legend Al Unser Sr. and his brother were arrested Wednesday following a heated confrontation with deputies in northwest Albuquerque. {Yahoo News]
- SI Q&A: Benny Parsons
See also: Dale Jr. on "The Big Idea with Donny Deutch" (airdate 7.9.06)
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* Please note: Additional photos tagged 'exclusive' are available to Answer this... Flickr friends only.
REMINDERS
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