Yesterday, Trevor Bayne left his teens behind with his 20th birthday. Today, he won the Daytona 500 in a surprise that has NASCAR excited and thrilled.  Bayne held off Carl Edwards to win the legendary race.

The long lasting image I will remember from the day is of Bayne celebrating on top of his car in victory lane with his HANS safety device still around his neck.  A teammate quickly removed it, but it was a poignant reminder of how far the sport has come since Dale Earnhardt’s tragic death at the track 10 years ago.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. wrecked on the last lap after his car was hit in the side. He hit the wall hard twice, at an angle that was eerily similar to the one that ended his father’s life back in 2001.

View 2011 Daytona 500 Full Results

[image: nascar.com]

NASCAR racer Jeff Gordon and his wife Ingrid Vandebosch welcomed a healthy baby boy named Leo Benjamin Gordon, who weighed 7 pounds, 2 ounces and was 19 inches long, at 8:53 am on Monday (August 9).

Jeff announced the happy news on his website. “He’s happy and healthy, and Mom is doing great,” Jeff said in the statement. The couple tied the knot in Mexico back in 2006 and they already had a 3 year-old daughter, Ella Sofia.

The 39 year-old race car driver will be back to work soon since he is scheduled to race in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway later this week. Jeff will most probably dedicate his victory to his new bundle of joy.

Congratulations to the family!

[image: Chris Connor/wenn.com]

Proud daddy Tom Cruise spent some quality time with his son Connor as the two watched from the first row the Daytona 500 held at Daytona International Speedway in Florida. Ironically mommy’s new husband Keith Urban kicked off the event with a surprise two-song performance as both Tom and Connor applauded.

Connor Cruise wants to be an actor just like daddy and he made his debut in a Will Smith movie “Seven Pounds”. Connor didn’t need daddy’s help to get the role, he reportedly did it all by himself and because he has talent. Anyone has seen “Seven Pounds”?? What did you think of Connor’s debut??

Matt Kenseth Wins 2009 Daytona 500 (Results)>>

Watch Keith Urban Perform “Better Life” At The 2009 Daytona 500 Below go on reading »

Matt Kenseth won the 2009 Daytona 500 on Sunday in a race that was called early due to rain.  The race was called after 152 laps with 48 laps remaining.

Kyle Busch had led most of the day before being taken out by Dale Earnhardt Jr. in a multi-car crash late in the race.

Full Race Results Below

go on reading »

Hot headed IRL driver Danica Patrick got into another heated skirmish on pit row on Sunday. This time it was with fellow woman driver Milka Duno.

The video is pretty funny. It is not the first time she had got in an argument on pit row with another driver. Earlier this year she went after Dan Wheldon.

Patrick, albeit finally won a race two months ago at the Indy Japan 300, wouldn’t be known in the sport, regardless of sex if it weren’t for her posing in bikini swimsuits, losing her cool with other drivers, or running over pit crew member Charles Buckman. She does draw attention to her sport though, something that is hard to do with the IRL.

ESPY Awards 2009 Winners & Red Carpet Photos

Here is a complete list of the winners from the 2008 ESPY Awards.  It is always anti-climatic when an award show is filmed several days before it is set to air. To top that off ESPN.com, on their front page, tells everyone who won every single award from last night’s 2008 ESPY Awards. The ESPY’s will air July 20th on ESPN.

Special Awards

• Arthur Ashe Courage Award: John Carlos and Tommie Smith, 1968 Olympic medalists
• Jimmy V Award for Perseverance: Kevin Everett, former Buffalo Bills TE
• Best comeback: Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers

Best in Sport

• Best Female Athlete: Candace Parker, Tennessee Basketball/Los Angeles Sparks
• Best Male Athlete: Tiger Woods, Golf
• Best Moment: “Great Sportsmanship” (Central Washington University’s Mallory Holtman and Liz Wallace, Western Oregon University’s Sara Tucholsky)
• Best Team: Boston Celtics
• Best Coach/Manager: Pat Summitt, Tennessee Women’s Basketball
• Best Game: New York Giants over New England Patriots at the Super Bowl
• Best Championship Performance: Tiger Woods, 2008 U.S. Open
• Best Play: New York Giants Eli Manning’s pass to David Tyree at the Super Bowl
• Best Finish: Western Kentucky over Drake in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, winning on a buzzer beater by Ty Rogers
• Best Upset: New York Giants over New England Patriots at the Super Bowl
• Best Breakthrough Athlete: Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings
• Best Record Breaking Performance: Brett Favre, Green Bay Packers
• Best Sports Movie: Semi-Pro
• Best Male College Athlete: Tim Tebow, Florida Football
• Best Female College Athlete: Candace Parker, Tennessee Basketball
• Best Male Athlete With a Disability: Ryan Kocer, Wrestling (Wagner, SD)
• Best Female Athlete With a Disability: Shay Oberg, Softball (Montana State-Billings)
• Best International Male Athlete: Rafael Nadal, Tennis
• Best International Female Athlete: Lorena Ochoa, Golf

Individual Sports

• Best Baseball Player: Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees
• Best NBA Player: Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
• Best WNBA Player: Lauren Jackson, Seattle Storm
• Best NFL Player: Tom Brady, New England Patriots
• Best NHL Player: Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
• Best MLS Player: David Beckham, Los Angeles Galaxy
• Best Male Action Sport Athlete: Shaun White, Skateboarding/Snowboarding
• Best Female Action Sport Athlete: Gretchen Bleiler, Snowboarding
• Best Bowler: Norm Duke
• Best Driver: Jimmie Johnson
• Best Fighter: Floyd Mayweather, Boxing
• Best Golfer: Tiger Woods
• Best Jockey: Kent Desormeaux
• Best Outdoor Athlete: Captain Scott Smiley, Mountain Climber
• Best Male Tennis Player: Roger Federer
• Best Female Tennis Player: Maria Sharapova
• Best Track and Field Athlete: Tyson Gay

Presidential hopeful Barack Obama is getting into NASCAR. Well not actually into a car but on the car.  Obama is finalizing a deal that would make him the primary sponsor on Ken Schrader’s car during the NASCAR race at Pocono Raceway on August 3rd.

A BAM spokesperson has revealed the team will hold a press conference July 23 in Miami to reveal the partnership, currently a proposed one-race deal with an option to continue. Obama will be at the briefing, which will be tied to the “Get Out The Vote” campaign message he spread throughout the 2008 primary season.

Sources claim one of the options being considered would allow individual campaign donors to get their name on the race car for as little as $100. Obama will also be present for a second private fundraiser on July 30 in Miami, in which team owners Beth Ann and Tony Morgenthau — staunch Republicans — will give the Democrat an opportunity to spread his message of change. Randy Moss and Fergie are among the celebrities confirmed to be a part of that fundraiser in support of the candidate and his venture into NASCAR.

Obama continues to be extremely smart running his campaign and reaching out to people from all walks of life.  He will be hoping and praying Schrader can quality for the race which has been a challenge for him this year.  If he can qualify for the race it will benefit Barack that he likely will be going much slower than the other cars.  Everyone can be sure to see Barack’s face and name on the car that way.

Two-time NASCAR champ Tony Stewart and his girlfriend Krista Dwyer have given their pet patas monkey, Mojo, to the Louisville Zoo.

When Stewart and Dwyer noticed that Mojo was maturing and becoming aggressive, they sought help from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which recommended the Louisville Zoo, said zoo spokeswoman Kara Bussabarger.

Bussabarger said the association was aware that the Louisville zoo already had three female patas monkeys, and was looking for a male. She said a check of Mojo’s genetics showed he’s a good potential mate for Louisville’s monkeys.

Kelly went on to say that it is not a good idea to have a wild animal as a pet.  I believe everyone I know who has ever attempted to own a monkey or wild animal has said the same thing after giving it up.  Props to Tony and Kelly for finding the monkey a good and safe home.

Female Indy car driver Danica Patrick ran over her pitman Charles Buckman earlier today during practice for this Sunday’s Indy race.

According to Dr. Mike Ollinger, the director of Medical Affairs for the Indy Racing League, Buckman suffered a concussion along with scalp and facial lacerations. He was transported to Methodist Hospital for treatment where he is being held overnight.

“I really don’t remember how it happened,” Buckman said. “All I remember is I was talking with someone on Marco Andretti’s team and then everything is blank from that point.

“I will be OK and hopefully back to work in a day or two.”

No word if Danica was on her cell phone or doing her nails at the time of the accident. Let the female driver jokes commence!

Hopefully Mr. Buckman will make a quick and speedy recovery.

photo: Yahoo! Sports

Car collector Ron Pratte paid $300,000 dollars for Tony Stewart’s 2007 Home Depot Chevrolet Monte Carlo race car. The sale took place at the 37th Annual Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The NASCAR racer was purchased by Chandler, Ariz., resident Ron Pratt, who in recent years has bought several multi-million dollar cars at Barrett-Jackson, including the GM Futureliner bus and the Oldsmobile F-88 show car.

All of the money raised by the sale went to the Darrell Gwynn Foundation. Gwynn was paralyzed and lost his left arm in 1986 when his dragster crashed into the retaining wall half-way down the track.

The Darrell Gwynn Foundation exists to prevent, provide for and ultimately cure spinal cord injuries and other debilitating illnesses. To expedite specific cures, the Foundation assists in the funding of targeted research.

The Foundation is also dedicated to injury prevention, with special emphasis on programs targeting children.

The Foundation helps improve the quality of life for those already afflicted with injury or illness, by providing necessary equipment or special services.

Special thanks goes to two-time NASCAR champ Tony Stewart for donating the car.

Jeff Gordon is either hated or loved on NASCAR racing tracks, but he is one of the best no matter what you think of him.  Jeff is finally at a place in his life where he is happy.  After a failed first marriage early in his racing career, he has remarried and is a first time father of a baby girl.

“At this point in my life, I’ve accomplished all the things that I’ve ever set out to do. I’m still a competitive person, but I’m not feeling like I’m missing out on something,” Gordon, who turned 36 last Saturday, tells Rochester, N.Y.’s Democrat and Chronicle newspaper.

Gordon became a dad to daughter Ella Sofia on June 20. Mom is Belgian actress Ingrid Vandebosch.

“To me, it’s perfect timing in my life to be a father, because I want to be involved, I want to be there,” says Gordon. “I’m excited about all the aspects of it and the challenges that come along with it, and there certainly are.”

Congrats to Jeff and Ingrid!

via BumpSports

NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is leaving his team at Dale Earnhardt, Inc. after the two sides were unable to work out a new contract.  DEI was created by Juniors late father and NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt. It is currently run by Earnhardt’s widow Theresa.

“Those of you who know me know that I don’t like to keep things under wraps. I’m usually pretty honest,” Earnhardt said. “After a year of intense negotiations and intense efforts on behalf of Dale Earnhardt Inc. and JR Motorsports, we decided that it’s time for us to move on and seek other opportunities for me to drive for a new team in 2008.

“We both worked extremely hard to find common ground, but as the negotiations continued, one thing became evident: we both want to get to the same place, but we both simply have different visions on how to get there.”

Junior could end up with the team owned by Richard Childress.  Earnhardt, Sr. won six of his record seven NASCAR championships while racing for Childress.  It also opens up the possibility of Junior driving his dad’s famed #3 car.  He will no longer be driving the #8 as the individual teams own the numbers. So DEI will be fielding a new car as the #8 car.

“I have a great relationship with Richard [Childress], I feel like he has really stepped up his program but I’ve got to do some soul searching on how I feel about driving the No. 3 car,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “With respect to my father, I don’t feel very comfortable with that, he built that number … but I never say never.”

I would love to see Junior in a black #3 on Sundays driving for Richard Childress.

It looks like Master P is going to be getting a new Dale Jr. onesie soon.