'Eastbound and Down' Character Featured on Car at Daytona

Leave it to Kenny Powers to hit the track at Daytona.

HBO's Eastbound and Down will sponsor a NASCAR Nationwide Series car – the No. 50 driven by T.J. Bell – in Saturday's DRIVE4COPD 300 race at Daytona International Speedway.

To promote the 3rd season of Eastbound, the #50 Eastbound & Down / Make Motorsports Chevrolet will show off elements of lead character Kenny Powers’ prized jet ski, The Panty Dropper, with a purple and leopard-print scheme, as well as the likeness of the legend himself, who also hails from Shelby, N.C.

“The name and likeness of Kenny Powers have long been associated with victory and success,” said Powers. “It’s pretty obvious why somebody would want to put a giant picture of my face on a tastefully decorated stock car."

“Best of luck to our driver, T.J. Bell. If he doesn’t win first place at Daytona, they must not have made that picture of my face big enough.”

Kyle Busch Behaving Badly

Kyle Busch is known for getting under the skin of fellow drivers and NASCAR officials.

He went too far Friday night during truck series race at Texas Motor Speedway.

The sanctioning body “parked” Busch from Saturday’s Nationwide Series race and Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 after he ran Ron Hornaday Jr. head-first into the third-turn wall during a caution period in Friday night’s WinStar World Casino 350K.  Yes, under a yellow flag.

Busch learned he wouldn’t be allowed to drive for the rest of the weekend after meeting with NASCAR officials early Saturday. He left the meeting without comment.

Rain Forces Chicago NASCAR Race to Monday

Rain on Sunday forced NASCAR to postpone the opening race of the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.
NASCAR rescheduled the Chicago race for Monday at noon Eastern.

The forecast didn't look good from the start, but because the facility has lights, NASCAR waited all day for a window to dry the track. Officials got the window and had the track almost dry, but the sky opened again roughly six hours after the scheduled start.

"We appreciate the fans hanging in there with us and we know that rain presents an issue that nobody has much control over and it's uncomfortable," NASCAR president Mike Helton said earlier Sunday. "But I think it's in everybody's best interest to try to get it in and we've got time to wait and see."

Matt Kenseth will start from the pole at Chicagoland when the race goes off on Monday, and he said he didn't think the full day of rain would present many problems for drivers.

Two-Day Delay for NASCAR in Atlanta

So much for Atanta's Labor Day weekend night race.

Rain on Sunday forced NASCAR officials to postpone the AdvoCare 500 until 11 a.m. Tuesday.

Continuous bad weather is expected today, forcing NASCAR officials to wait until Tuesday before running a 500-mile race that is the next-to-last event before the field is set for the Chase for the Championship.
 
"All the things that create a dangerous situation with weather, we have respect for that," NASCAR President Mike Helton said. "This is one of those deals, nobody wins. But it happens from time to time."

NASCAR officials put dryers on the track Sunday night after the first patch of rain came through Atlanta Motor Speedway, but a second rainstorm wiped out any chance of trying to start the race late Sunday.

Track officials said that existing tickets and credentials will be honored when the gates open at 8:30 a.m. The Atlanta Motor Speedway ticket office will open at 9 a.m. today for fans still wishing to purchase tickets for the rescheduled race.

The race will still be broadcast by ESPN.

RickLimpert.info Picture of the Week: A Daytona 500 Winner

The world outside of NASCAR diehards had never heard the name Trevor Bayne before today.

They know it now, and will know it forever as a Daytona 500 champion. 

Ah, to be 20 years old, a NASCAR driver and a Daytona 500 winner.