The annual Charlotte Motor Speedway NASCAR Media Tour offered insight into many teams and partnerships for the 2012 season. Sponsors were announced, new cars were unveiled and drivers and team owners discussed goals and plans for the upcoming year.
But there were also some noteworthy items from the tour that didn't include breaking news or pronouncements. After taking in the four days of activities, FOXSports.com offers its media awards for some eye-catching moments on the tour:
Best feud
To say that Kyle Busch is under Kevin Harvick’s skin is putting it mildly. It would be difficult to find two drivers that dislike each other more. In return, however, Busch doesn’t get mad, he gets even. Yes, Busch lifted Rick Ren from Kevin Harvick Inc. He drove the No. 29 into the wall at Darlington in the spring and took Harvick’s driver Ron Hornaday out of the championship hunt. If that wasn’t enough, Busch commandeered the Monster sponsorship from KHI and Ricky Carmichael, Harvick’s former driver and friend. When Harvick was asked if Busch‘s behavior stems from his competitiveness, he replied, “Is that competitiveness or is that just immature? You can use the competitive excuse for a while but you can’t use it over and over and over again. You’re with one of the most respected groups that there is in the sport, and over and over and over you make them look like fools. It’s going to go just like it did last year. You’re going to go through the first part of the year and everyone’s going to make him out to be a saint, we’re going to get halfway and he’s not winning as much as he was in the beginning of the year and then he’s going to get frustrated and throw a temper tantrum and make an ass out of himself. So, it’s happened for as many years as he’s raced. You got to call a spade a spade, man. It’s like (team owner) Richard (Childress) says, ‘When you hear something over and over again and you don’t change it, then nothing’s changed.’”
Most surprising news
Kevin Harvick sure knows how to play to his audience. As he was making general remarks about the season during the Richard Childress Racing stop, he slipped in the stunner of the tour: His wife, DeLana Harvick, is 14 weeks pregnant. The news even seemed to shock his teammates, who immediately began congratulating him on stage. That moment topped even Danica’s tour stop.
Best one-liner of the tour
Moments after the surprise of the tour, Jeff Burton leaned over and whispered to Harvick, who promptly picked up the mic and announced: "Burton wants to know who the father is."
Worst dressed
The popular and personable NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Kenny Wallace is known for his ability to charm an audience. But his appearance as Richard Dawson to host a game of Family Feud in which drivers competed against the media (the ill-advised media run in the game is topic for another blog), took the cake. Wallace took on a 70s celebrity role, complete with sunglasses for the night event – and then freely admitted that he was wearing his daughter’s pants to complete the look.
Best new series name
NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. captained the driver team in a game of Family Feud against the media. Also on the team was Danica Patrick. When the media team took the name Honey Badgers, Stenhouse jokingly adopted a new series name for his group: Danica and those other drivers.
Best new car
There’s really no contest here. Sure a lot of those paint schemes unveiled during the media tour looked sharp. And it was nice to see drivers that are adding sponsors sporting new gear. But the 2013 Ford Fusion took the show. This car looks sporty, fast – and like something you, too, could own. It’s the first of the new models designed to more closely represent individual manufacturers to be shown to the media.
Most original decorations
Teams and Charlotte Motor Speedway officials put countless hours of work into making the tour stops look good. Several went above and beyond the call – we’re talking about your creative food displays here, Richard Childress – but Roush Fenway Racing took the top prize. The team, now celebrating its 25th year in the sport, put a win trophy with a year marker on each table during the luncheon it hosted. And, trust us, that was a lot of bling.
Most honest
Some guys just don’t pull any punches. But team owner Chip Ganassi was the one who really put it on the line. As he looked over the 2011 season, a year in which his drivers finished 21st and 27th in the standings, Ganassi summed things up succinctly: "We were pathetic."
Best crib notes
Remnants of blue-inked notes on Joe Gibbs Racing president J.D. Gibbs' outstretched hand made one wonder if it was time to retire his school-boy habits and hire an assistant to draw up talking points.
Best Danica line
Trust us, there were a lot of comments on Danica Patrick's move to NASCAR this week. NASCAR officials, drivers, team owners and, of course, media members kept the topic alive over the course of the four days.
When Dale Earnhardt Jr. was asked, ‘Why does Danica move the needle?’ His reply was simple.
“She’s a woman,” Earnhardt said. “She’s got an edgy personality. She has a dynamic edge to her personality. She’s assertive and determined. And that’s exciting, especially coming from a woman in the sport. It’s rare. It’s very rare. So it’s very intriguing and interesting to people. I think everyone -- and more people than want to admit -- want to see her do well, want to see her succeed because they want to see what the results of that are for the sport. Not so much for her, but what does that really do for everything else around them and how does it affect the sport?
“It’s really great. I like her personality. I like her as a person. And I’m glad that she wanted to work with us, obviously. And I’m glad she’s here. I’m glad she’s making the choice to come here full time. I think it’s a good choice. Maybe I’m being a little selfish, but I think it’s good for the sport. She attracts a lot of attention. We need a bit of a rebound in some areas. You listen to the people that matter talk about the sport and she can provide that spark. She can refresh some corporate sponsors interest in the sport and stuff like that.”
Best unintentional true joke
Michael Waltrip fields a diverse team this season, spanning several generations and experience levels. This season, Waltrip will share the No. 55 with Mark Martin. As he discussed sharing seats between the pair, Waltrip said, “Out with the old, in with the older."
Best use of sponsor
Everyone could take a lesson here. Sure products are conveniently placed throughout the interview areas for perusal and drivers mention them often. But Furniture Row Racing raised the bar. With the team shop located in Denver, Colo., the organization decided to host lunch – in its Charlotte, NC, store. Media members filed through the various departments of the store before eating at tables and sitting in chairs that are actually for sale. Clever, clever.
Worst decorations
Ok, we appreciate an attempt to be self-deprecating as much as anyone. Kentucky Speedway did a good job in its conference of both admitting part of the blame for the traffic fiasco that hampered the Sprint Cup debut race there last year and explaining how it wouldn’t be repeated. It even had a clever logo about fixing the problem. But the cones marking the entranceway seemed to be taking things a little too far.
And before you ask, yes, there was a traffic jam to get into the Kentucky press conference (bada bum!).
Most bold declaration
Certainly, team owner Rick Hendrick has reason to be optimistic about his upcoming season. After all, he leads all teams in titles with 10 Sprint Cup championships. He has five-time champ Jimmie Johnson and four-time champion Jeff Gordon in house. So things certainly look good. But Hendrick didn’t mince words when it came to 2012. "I'm going to be really disappointed if we don't have all four cars in the Chase and I'm going to be really disappointed if we don't win the championship."
