Ok NASCAR Bloggers and GGW Racing SPONSORS...without further ado--here is the decal that will be on Corey Tucker's five USAC Midget Chili Bowl entries this January!!

(Double click on the image to enlarge...)

A huge THANK YOU must go out to FORENSIC2 for designing the super cool decal for us, I think he did an amazing job!  And of course THANK YOU to all of the sponsors as well...

The decal will be approximately 4" by 8" and will be on all five of the cars Corey is fielding.   For more information on the Chili Bowl and Corey's drivers see my previous blog.   Corey and his teams are stoked to have us aboard and are planning on getting us into Victory Lane!

Corey promised to send pictures of the decal on the cars that I will post to the blog. Those of you who "ordered" decals, they will be sent to you directly from Corey sometime in mid-to-late January.  We will all have to tune in to the 2009 Chili Bowl to see how our teams do!

It is my honor to announce the inaugural winner of NASCAR.COM Community's Blogger of the Year....

FRVER3FAN!!!!!!

Here is our winner holding up the Maltese Lug Nut off Tony Stewart's hotrod in California...

3fan was nominated as one of the Top 3 Bloggers over on NASCAR.com and then competed against the other two nominations for the title for two weeks as the NASCAR.com community voted.    Here is the official announcement on NASCAR.com:  http://community.nascar.com/crews/FansVoiceAwards

Did anyone watch the Awards Show on Friday night?  Rumor had it 3fan's win was announced in the ballroom as well.  VERY COOL!

Congratulations are in order and I hope my fellow Foxsports bloggers will join me in giving you, 3fan, a standing ovation for all of your outstanding blogging throughout the year.  Here are just a few examples of some of 3fan's best stuff if you are not familiar with his work...

http://community.foxsports.com/blogs/frevr3fan/2008/11/11/TrAcK_SmAcK

http://community.foxsports.com/blogs/frevr3fan/2008/09/13/Changing_of_the_Guard_A_Jeff_Gordon_Story

http://community.foxsports.com/blogs/frevr3fan/2008/08/06/Girls_Rule

http://community.foxsports.com/blogs/frevr3fan/2008/08/03/Ricky_A_Story_of_Perseverance

Way to represent man!  We all look forward to many more informative and entertaining blogs from you in 2009!

After a lovely, relaxing vacation in the Cook Islands over Thanksgiving...

(yes, that is our beach footsteps from the cabana and no, no one was ever on it!)

I bring you a shocking NASCAR story buried in the headlines of layoffs, the bailout of the Big 3, Champions week, and the crack dealer who worked at Whiskey River that has changed my perceptions of "The Great Pumpkin" (aka Tony Stewart) once and for all!  

Is it true I might actually now *like* Smoke?  Or did I get hit in the head with a coconut?   Courtesy of Jayski, here is what finally swung my opinion: 

 "Stewart's Foundation Awards $20,000 To Indiana Racehorse Charity The charitable organization of Tony Stewart has awarded a $20,000 grant to Indianapolis-based Friends of Ferdinand, Inc. (FFI), a not-for-profit volunteer organization that works with owners and trainers at the state's two horse tracks to identify and obtain thoroughbreds that are nearing the end of their racing careers. Funds provided by the Tony Stewart Foundation will help FFI evaluate and retrain the horses, and find new, forever homes with devoted, caring owners. More than 200 horses have been transitioned from the track into new careers as show horses, dressage competitors, pleasure and trail riders, equine therapeutic program partners, pasture mates and beloved companions. Several thoroughbreds, the first horses to be christened "Tony's Ex-Racers," were brought into the FFI program Nov. 17 during the annual end-of-season paddock sale at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino in Anderson, Ind. Representatives of both Friends of Ferdinand and the Tony Stewart Foundation were on hand to take a look at available horses and select those destined to become "Tony's Ex-Racers." A total of 10 horses will be brought into the program as "Tony's Ex-Racers" - those obtained from the Hoosier Park paddock sale, and two or three others already in line to come off the track and into FFI's care."

Most of you know I am an avid equestrian and I have ridden my share of ex-racehorses.  (avid meaning I ride a lot, not necessarily well as Photo can attest I have hit the turf more than once in recent years!). 

While I have always known Smoke has a soft spot in his heart for all critters, I can finally "get behind him" (LOL Lori) knowing he is taking care of my four-legged friends.   I still won't root for him on the track but I promise to like him more now!

Onto other news...Corey Tucker, the car chief for the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge has 5 entries ready to race in the 2009 Chili Bowl which is coming up in January. 

I told Corey I would ask if any of the FOXSports Bloggers would be interested in sponsoring his cars. He has several of the top drivers driving for him this year including the No. 14 with Jason Meyers driving, the No. 47 for Bryan Clauson, the No. 97 for Jerry Higbie, Jr., the No. 39 for Billy Wilburn and the No. 39 (driver TBD). So we might get ourselves into Victory Lane!  Well our sticker anyway!   Forensic2 will be designing our decal.   Corey is open to ANY amount from us but I am hoping we can scrape together enough for a set of tires or fuel for the race.   I will be posting an entire blog on how and when to send money and get your name on the decal as soon as I get more details.

And finally...My second annual Irreverent Awards are out today on the main NASCAR page here on FOXSports... 

http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/story/8896738/Time-to-recognize-the-fan-favorites

I hope I represented the awards you all would have given out!  Feel free to add on...

I have decided that this will be my final Hot or Not for FOXSports.com and want to thank FOXSports.com and Jorge Mondaca for this amazing opportunity!    I also want to thank everyone who has taken the time to read or comment on my Hot or Not blogs all season long.  It has been an honor keeping up the tradition that Cindi Redding started.  

HOT

1.  Jimmie Johnson- Congratulations to the 2008 Sprint Cup Champion and his No. 48 Lowe's team as they raced their way to an easy 15th-place finish at Homestead, which was good enough for their third consecutive title.  Nothing left to say about this team's performance except-dynasty.   A nod must go to teammate and team owner Jeff Gordon who brought his No. 24 home fourth.

2.  Carl Edwards- Cousin Carl did everything he could possibly do to win the Championship by leading the most laps and winning his ninth race this season. Still, he fell 69 points short.   I wonder how often Edwards is haunted by the wreck he caused at Talladega or the points penalty for the unsecured oil pan at California.  This No. 99 Ford team will be the one to watch in 2009. 

3.  The Rest of Roush Racing-  The rest of the Roushkateers were typically stout at Homestead with Jamie McMurray finishing up strong in third, Matt Kenseth looking to win until he ran out of fuel, Greg Biffle finishing third in the Chase standings and David Ragan demonstrating why Tony Stewart picked him as Driver of the Year by racing in the top 5 all day until running out of fuel at the end.   I don't envy the decision the Cat in the Hat will have to make by the end of next year to let one of these top notch drivers go.

4.  Kevin Harvick- Happy was one of the favorites to win on Sunday and almost pulled it off when he and the No. 29 Shell crew made all the right adjustments on the car and gambled on fuel.   Harvick cruised home second, beat by the master of fuel mileage racing this year.   This was the smart performance the team was lacking earlier in the Chase.        

5.  Tony Stewart-  In his final race for Joe Gibbs Racing, Smoke seemed choked up and uncharacteristically unsure how to express his feelings.   With his famous "here kitty kitty", Smoke pounced and got the lead but had to pit for fuel in the end.  Stewart finished ninth but gave his final No. 20 Home Depot ride a good run at Homestead as he finished his career at JGR with 33 wins and 2 Championships.  Let's hope for Smoke's sanity, he can get his new team on the Hot list early in 2009.    

NOT

1.  Dale Earnhardt Jr - Junebug got as high as 10th on Sunday running his patented super high line but that was the high point of his race.  Junior stalled the No. 88 in the pits because he wasn't ready for a two-tire stop and then with 18 laps to go the right front brake caliper broke ending their night for their second DNF of the season.   Earnhardt Jr's 41st-place finish dropped him all the way to 12th in the Chase and off the stage in NYC.    

2.  Penske Racing - Kurt Busch was lapped early, slammed the wall twice and got every penalty possible on pit road before the Miller Lite Racing team retired the No. 2 car and finished dead last.  Ryan Newman was also lapped early and never factor in his final race for Penske and Sam Hornish, Jr didn't even make race.  This was an ugly finish to an ugly season for this Dodge team. 

3.  Marcos Ambrose- The driver from Down Under slammed the wall in Turn 4 in his No. 47 Little Debbies Toyota after clipping Reed Sorenson bringing out the caution and ending his hopes for a good finish.  Ambrose ended up some 40+ laps down in 42nd and more importantly fell out of the Top 35 in the owners points standings and will really have to hustle it next year to make the field. 

4.  Jeff Burton- The wily veteran wasn't wily enough at Homestead as the No. 31 AT&T Chevrolet got punted through the grass by Joe Nemechek, putting Burton eight laps down in 40th.   Everyone would love to see "the Mayor of NASCAR" vie for a championship, but he'll need more fire in the belly to compete with the likes of Johnson and Edwards.

5.  Petty Enterprises-  Bobby Labonte finished 33rd in the famed No. 43 while teammate Chad McCumbee finished 39th and is well outside the Top 35 in the owners points standings in the No. 45.   Petty Enterprises continues to struggle on and off the track as the King tries to salvage the empire he built. 

Check out the Hot or Not photo gallery here:  http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/pgStory?contentId=8816952

Head to http://www.millerliteracing.com/ to keep track of my exploits with the Miller Lite Racing team with garage reports and video blogs.

My weekly picks are dedicated to the memory of Cindi Redding who was respected and loved by all who knew her, especially her friends in the FOXSports.com community.

FINALLY!  Here is my garage report from Phoenix, sorry it is so late!   Most of you know I stayed with my family so I had very little time to get online--but as they say better late than never!    So, on with the inside scoop...

I was super lucky again this time to have both the Hot pass and the Media Creds and this time I was ready!  I brought an extra shirt and changed into while doing my interviews and then changed back when with the team so I am pretty sure people think I have a twin!  LOL

One of the first things I did in the garages on Friday was get the Chaser's interview schedule and lo and behold who was up first!   Smoke...shirt off, shirt on...He was looking like a big banana in his yellow Fiesta Bowl jacket as they announced he would be the grand marshall this year.   He will be driving the #20 car in the parade and lets hope he doesn't decide to bump and run the float in front of him. 

Tony seemed bummed he wasn't going to be in the Shootout this Feb. and said he had not seen any effect from GM and the economy on his new race team yet.  He did liken his talent search to a buffet--how shocking that he would use a food metaphor--and hoped to announce a crew chief and spotter by Homestead.    Finally, he strongly supported Logano and said once he gets with Zippy he will improve because the guys on the #02 team never work together, so expect big improvements from Sliced Bread next year according to Smoke. 

And the moment you have all been waiting for--WIth my neutral black shirt on, I staked out the only exit to the garage from the media center with Sharpie in hand and a picture of Tony that I had taken at Sonoma (he is giving me his angry look) I FINALLY got his autograph--but not without getting a big ole stink eye because I am sure he recognized my hair...LOL

The day only got better as I rushed over to Jr's hauler for his media time and beat most of them over there.   I got myself a front row spot.  You can't get closer than this!  For once I got a clear shot and wasn't shaking like a leaf in his presence! 

Jr. insisted that Brian France is not the problem for NASCAR, which was very odd.  He said JJ should be placed along side his father, Gordon and Petty for his accomplishments and thinks JJ will surpass Gordon soon.  He also said his pick for Daytona was Edwards. 

I changed back into my No. 2 gear and headed out and got this shot for HotFootLori.  I yelled over to Morgan that he had a lot of fans on Foxsports.com and he smiled and said, "thanks!"

Back at the No 2 hauler, Kurt was visited by our favorite TV announcer! 

Rusty had a camera crew in tow and had asked Kurt to tape an episode of NASCAR Angels with him.    Kurt and Rusty were funny as they re-did takes of the intro and were cracking each other up but after only a few tries, they got the shot they wanted.   Rusty was actually pretty darn funny and nice in person so maybe I will have to rethink my strong negative opinion of him.

By now the Brew Crew were already half way through inspection when I caught up with them...and when I got to the height sticks and scales inspection site I noticed we had a new crew member!    A small blow up turtle was taped to our hood with a sign that read "Fear the Turtle"...

At first, I figured the inspectors were suggesting that the Miller Lite Dodge was a bit pokey but then when we arrived at the final inspection site, I met the real Turtle...

NASCAR Inspector Jon Wright was the target of their joke...still plenty of people saw that turtle on the hood of the No. 2 car and that was a bit embarrassing!   Must have brought us some speed though, as you know Kurt was on the pole for a good bit of qualifying and ended up starting 3rd.

Saturday was all about practice.   In between the first practice and Happy Hour, Kurt took another celebrity for hot laps in the pace car.  Those of you around last year might remember it was Sammy Hagar last Fall at Phoenix.  Well this year it was Arizona Diamondback's Cy Young award winning pitcher, Brandon Webb.  

I'll make all of you baseball fans jealous by telling you I got an autographed baseball from him!   Love the perks of this "job!"

I was pretty excited for Sunday because Brew Crew was really happy with the car and this was my last chance to get into Victory Lane.   I had a great spot to watch the race from:

As you can see, I am pretty much on the pit wall and only had to back up when they came in for pit stops.   Of course, the rain delay was the first big story of the race--and we were in the lead when the red flag came out.   Kurt was under our pit tent pow-wowing with the team on strategy for a good 20 minutes.   This *may* be where some of you think you saw me on TV.

While Kurt, Brian, Jeffery and Pat were strategizing, my buddy Larry (rear tire carrier) was out in the pit box trying to dry it off with teeny tiny blowers...

We all know how the race went down...I was so hoping Kurt could get close enough to JJ to make him *think* he might punt him for the win but alas, the 48 was just too stout.  Nonetheless, I had a great time up on the wall cheering with the team the final 3 laps.  I also got to join Kurt on pit road afterwards during all of his interviews...

I couldn't catch "Cupcake" doing anything funny this weekend so here is my honorary JMac shot for the weekend, also out on pit road getting interviewed for his 3rd place finish.  He is talking with Eva, Kurt's wife.

I will be downloading some video I took this weekend soon and have an excellent video of the cars heading out for Happy Hour where it looks like they are going to run me over...A short clip of Rusty and Kurt doing their TV thang and the final lap of the race.   So look for that coming soon. 

Finally, some of you might have read the article on Corey Tucker, Kurt's car chief...if not, here it is-   http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/story/8627428

Well, Corey will be fielding *5* cars for the Chili Bowl and is looking for sponsors...I told him I would throw out the idea of getting FOXSports.com NASCAR Bloggers on one of his cars (BTW, he has several TOP cars in the field and has a good shot at winning...) or even GGW Racing.   Let me know if anyone is interested and we can figure out if we can do it. 

For more ony my exploits with the Brew Crew this weekend, see my "official" garage report on the Miller Lite Racing Hometown Map:  http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/story/8788272

Hope you've enjoyed this trip through the garage at Phoenix!  Sorry its so late.  I have lots more to add and will do so in the off season to keep us entertained...