DanicaStalk 2013: Las Vegas -- Sunday, 3/10/13

It was a beautiful Sunday morning. A typical Vegas morning. Since the "DanicAl" mission was a success the night before, I just wanted to sit back, relax and watch Danica go around LVMS in her #10 GoDaddy Chevy SS in circles. And hopefully, she would do well despite very little practice.

#10 GoDaddy team trailer behind the Neon Garage.

As the morning started, I attended the Driver's Meeting in the Neon Garage where the drivers, teams, and officials all get briefed on the race's rules and procedures. Then I ran my ass off through the tunnel to get to the actual track entrance where I can get a decent spot in front of the track stage where the Driver Introduction ceremony would be, and where I would be able to root for my girl. Unfortunately, the starting order for the race was determined by owner's points since they couldn't qualify Friday due to rain. Danica would be starting 37th. Damn...

On the track before Driver Introductions!

Standing on the Start/Finish waiting for Driver Intro's!

#10 Team pushing the car back to the 37th position.

As the drivers were getting introduced, and Danica was called out, I yelled, "Bring it home, baby!" and she smiled and waved. Again, this is a track Danica tends to do well at. But that is with a full weekend of practice and qualifying, of which she didn't get. It would show in her race.

Danica on stage getting introduced for the race!

Danica shaking hands with Las Vegas Mayor Goodman!

As for the race, it was a tough outing for her and the #10 team. Danica had a loose car they just couldn't figure out. Listening to her radio conversations with Crew Chief, Tony Gibson, I could hear the frustration in her voice on how to explain to him what was wrong with the car. In turns 1 and 2, she was pretty fast. I especially like her entry into turn 1. But it was turn 3 and into and out of 4 she had serious problems with. Danica would finish 33rd after starting 37th, 6 laps back. Not a good outing at all. After the race you can tell she wasn't a very happy girl. She drove straight to the trailer, hopped out of the car, made a bee-line inside the trailer, changed out of her firesuit, and gone...to the RV. 

I can't blame her for her frustration. But is it frustration from the lack of practice and qualifying? Or is it the frustration of her lack of technical know-how on the ability to communicate what could possibly be wrong with the setup of the car? I know for a fact the first would be an enormous factor. But she always lacked the technical ability to understand and convey, it could be this part, or that part, of the car that might need attention. A very important ability to have as a NASCAR driver. And a skill Danica eventually will learn with more experience with this type of car AND a consistent team roster. 

I bring this up because of listening to Brad Keselowski's radio chatter during the Nationwide race the day before. The way he understood his racecar on a technical level was quite impressive. He even tried to diagnose his racecar's issues down to how the front right shock might be broken. And he was right! Alongside a messed up front splitter, he was close on the diagnosis. He didn't win the race, but he stayed competitive. That's why he's won Nationwide Series Championships, and is the current Sprint Cup Series Champion. A little technical know-how by a driver goes a long way here. It's something that will come to Danica hopefully sooner than later. Hell...she killed her weakness of restarts after just half of a season in Nationwide. She'll figure this out just the same.

DanicaStalk 2013: Las Vegas -- Saturday, 3/09/13

It was a loooong day...but a damn good one! It started at 6am where I headed to MGM Grand to wait in line for 6hrs just to get a stinkin' wristband. Danica and team owner, Tony Stewart, were scheduled to make an appearance in the MGM Grand lobby at 7pm that night. Only 50 wristbands were going to be handed out  at 12noon to guarantee a photo with Danica and Tony, and 2 autographed bottles of Coke by both of them. You're damn right I waited. I did the same thing last year at the Palms and that turned out awesome!

I was incredibly surprised I wasn't the first one there. I ended up being #11. Still, all that mattered was being within 50. The first group was a family of 3 that literally "camped out" since 3am. WTF?! Behind them was a married couple who were Tony fans. The next guy, who I called "Zoom Lens", was a freelance photographer. The next married couple were from Utah and were hardcore Tony fans. The next couple after that was from Kentucky who were also Tony fans. Then there was me. Behind me was another married couple of Tony fanatics from Pennsylvania. As you can see, I was the only hardcore Danica fan within the mix most of the time. Anywho, the line definitely surpassed 50 (close to over 100), and we waited for those damn wristbands to be handed out. We were kinda complaining about how, if MGM/Coke was only handing 50 wristbands out, why bother waiting until 12noon?! The line was at 50 by 10am. Just hand out the 50, everybody after 50 was S.O.L., and we can go to LVMS to watch some racing, ryt? Of course not. Another reason for me to enjoy Pepsi.

While in line striking conversations with all the folks around me, the Pennsylvania couple was wondering how they were going to get to the track in time for the Nationwide race. I volunteered to drive them up there since I, also, wanted to see this race. I asked them to excuse my driving style ahead of time since I knew I would make sure I'd get to watch that race. Bought the damn tickets for it, I AM making this race. After we got our wristbands at 12noon, we raced to the parking lot to the mighty "Fujiko" (2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser TRD Special Edition) and I zipped through traffic on the I-15 getting to LVMS in 10 mins. Ha! Dropped the "Pennsylvanian's" off at the front of the track at 12:25p. The race starts at 1:15p. Skills...

I knew I had to get to MGM Grand fairly early to make sure I didn't have to rush or miss any opportunities for "DanicAl" before the scheduled 7pm appearance. So I left LVMS at 4pm and got back to MGM at 4:30pm. Relaxed, played a little blackjack, and walked around MGM Grand. By 5pm, the lobby was full of people hovering around the lobby's center. All I could do was stand there and people watch. When Danica and Tony finally hit the lobby stage, there was no room to move. It was wall-to-wall full of humanity. Little did all the "llamas" know, only 50 people get to meet Danica and Tony. As the 50 wristband-wearing folks were called to line up, we talked about the Nationwide race and found out the family of 3, who camped out at 3am, sold one of their wristbands for $1,000! We were then told ahead of time that the Coke people will take the photo, and that Danica and Tony would not be signing anything brought to them. Lame. Anywho, all that mattered for me was my annual "DanicAl" photo.

As I finally got up to Danica and Tony, I first addressed Danica (of course) and said, "Hey, you!" and she said, "Hey, you...I know you!". I then asked, "Been a while, huh?" and hugged her and she replied, "Yes, it has!". She smelled lovely. I told her I needed my annual DanicaFanboy photo with her and she laughed. Then I walked over to Tony to pay homage and they were both laughing as I was bowing down to Lord Stewart. I told him "Thank you for giving my girl the chance to race Sprint Cup.", and Tony smiled and shook my hand. We posed for the photo, and I wished the both of them good luck tomorrow. I got my photo and signed Coke bottles. Mission accomplished.

Signed Coke bottles!
Guess who's drinking Coke Zero now?
Yup...a sucker born every minute.

Finally! DanicAl with her boss, Tony Stewart!!

I didn't have the heart to flirt with her. It crossed my mind as I waited in line to greet her. If anything, I just wanted to make sure she was comfortable with me, and that she recognized who I was. And hopefully, she caught on to the fact I got her back in thanking Mr. Stewart for bringing her to Sprint Cup. I know it doesn't get any better than Tony as in a NASCAR "mentor" for her. I can tell just from the way she's been driving as of late she's learning a whole lot from him. I know I will have my chances to flirt as time goes on, and I will know when the right time will be.

It ain't over yet! The weekend saga continues...

DanicaStalk 2013: Las Vegas -- Friday, 3/08/13

One word: rain. Lots of it. For being the "2nd Sunniest City in America", the one day it couldn't be a typical sunny day in Vegas had to be the day I asked for a vacation day from work so I can watch Danica practice, and maybe get my annual "DanicAl" photo taken early. There was even a scheduled Q & A Session with Danica at the Team Chevy booth. Nope. But despite no racing at all, and no Danica to be seen, I met quite a few new friends of whom I'm extremely glad the day was the way it was. We had a blast in the famous Neon Garage drinking and making up a new crazy dance for the NASCAR geeks to follow, a.k.a "NASCAR Shuffle". And yes, left turns only! Friggin' hilarious! Even Fox Sports taped it as environment footage, but I have no idea if they used it since I didn't watch much TV this past weekend.

NASCAR Shuffle: Left Turn Only
(Much love and props to Lori, Nikki, Steve and Mike from Canadian, TX)

We even got to see Danica in the garage area talking to her crew, and my friend Nikki got her Hooters hat signed by Crew Chief, Tony Gibson. Ironically, Gibson won a Cup Championship with driver Alan Kulwicki in the #7 Hooters Ford Thunderbird in 1992 as Kulwicki's Crew Chief.

It's cold and wet, dammit!

Crew Chief, Tony Gibson, signing Nikki's Hooters Hat.

It was too bad Nikki and Lori could only make Friday since they had to work during the race weekend. It's what it is when you live and work in Vegas. Still, new friendships were found, we had a blast in the rain, and we made a new convert in Lori to the NASCAR lunacy. Next year is gonna be off the hook!

This ain't the end of the weekend story! More to come...

Remember this?

I'll be asking Danica to show me what she got...

Jay-Z - Show Me What You Got Music Video

Danica Finishes 39th at Phoenix After Hard Hits.

It was a rough weekend for Danica in Phoenix. Phoenix is one of the few "flat tracks" on the Sprint Cup schedule and takes quite some time, and the right equipment, to really be competitive. Danica has raced there a few times in the Indycar series, but was never truly successful there. In her first Sprint Cup outing there at Phoenix this past weekend, she battled an incredibly loose car and just like many drivers during the race, her front right tire exploded and she hit the turn 4 wall real hard. What made it worse was she then got hit hard immediately on the driver's side by David Ragan's #34 car. Fortunately, she walked away unscathed, which is a testament to NASCAR's commitment to safety. At the least, Danica could look forward to coming here to Vegas and in 2 weeks Fontana, which she tends to run real well at both.

Danica Should Have Won at Daytona.

I know I'm a little late with this entry, but "work" takes the driver's seat in life. Besides, how will I be able to pay for DanicaStalk 2013? Anywho, I am INCREDIBLY proud of Danica and her performance at the Daytona 500 last Sunday. I had a feeling she would be up there the whole race, and she was. Watching the race, I believed Danica had the fastest car...period. I truly believe Danica knew it. And I truly believe Danica felt she should have won it, too. It surprised me late in the race that she didn't go to the front of the low line being led by Jimmie Johnson. As we later know, it was that move that got Johnson the win. Everything else at the end of the race happened behind him on that last lap. Even during post race interviews, you can see it in Danica's face, she knows she should have won. Still, overall, she might have made the best decision not to gamble in hoping Johnson would have pushed her if she made that move down to the low line in front of him. But, there was no guarantee. She did the smart thing and understood her historical part in the whole race. Again, she is "a rookie" and yet has to earn the confidence of other drivers around her. That will happen real soon.

Yeah, I'm out $100. Still, as I painfully watched Danica flirt with being in the front, I stood and yelled with absolute glee during lap 90 as she finally led the race. Very few drivers in the world can say they led the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500. That moment alone made losing $100 so worth while.