NASCAR’s Biggest Fan - Ron Ripple

Tony Stewart who you all know is one of my favorite drivers, is the topic of discussion throughout the NASCAR community.  The rumor on the street is that he’s been getting multiple offers from a number of different race teams even though his contract doesn’t come up with Joe Gibbs Racing until the end of the 2009 season.  Tony Stewart said that he is going to be completely honest and up front with Joe Gibbs and has already admitted to keeping his ears open.  The biggest story that has been going around the pits is he’s decided already to sign with Haas CNC racing which is a second class racing team. 

J.D. Gibbs says they aren’t worried about the possible offers and has denied the claims.  They think Tony Stewart will make the right decision and stay with a team he will win with, and they’re confident they are THAT team.  One thing they have mentioned is if Tony decides he doesn’t plan on staying with the Gibbs team, he better at least fulfill his contract and stay till the end of the 2009 year.

Tony Stewart on the other hand has other interests… his goal is to not only be a driver but also a team owner.  He wants to guarantee a life long career in the racing world, and the next peice to the puzzle is to own a team.  So rumors on the street are he’s already signed with Haas CRC racing, but not only as a driver but also part owner in the team. 

To me it sounds like Tony Stewart has made his decision… I think he’s going to fulfill his contract because he’s a stand up guy and Joe Gibbs has been an incredible team owner for him.  I personally think he should keep racing for Joe Gibbs… but I understand why he wants to secure his life long career in the NASCAR world.  If it aint broke than don’t fix it… he will be racing for a second class team.  And second class teams are second class teams with second class equipment.  He’s not going to find a more professional, more prepared team than Joe Gibbs and right now Joe Gibbs is THE TEAM to beat. 

Another reason why I think Tony made the swith is because I think he’s a Chevy guy.   Tony switched to the Toyota this year when the Gibbs team decided it was going to be the car they all ran this year.  His Nationwide Series team is currently still running the Chevy and I think he’s always been a Chevy guy and feels comfortable in a Chevy.  Tony Stewart and Toyota go together like beer and popsicles.  They just dont! 

It’s going to be a sad day when he makes the switch… but who knows… maybe he’ll turn a second class team into a first class team.  I hope this isn’t the last we see of Tony and I hope he doesn’t become a has been who lost his aggressive, opinionated, drama filled always a contender to be reckoned with attitude.  10 years and racing for the same owner with over 34 wins is a great accomplishment, let’s just hope he keeps us all on the edge of our seats.

 What do you think… is he going to continue racing for Joe Gibbs?  Is he going to fulfill his contract or will he pull out early?

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I know I give Jeff Gordon and all of his fan’s a hard time about how he’s a non beer drinker and might legally be classified as a midget, but I’m only playing and have a lot of respect for the man. He’s not only a great racer, but the man is a PIMP!!! Check out his incredible wife Ingrid Vandebosch.

Ingrid was a former Belgian model/actress when she met the little guy Jeff Gordon. It’s my understanding that they met at a party in 2003 where Ingrid and Jeff each played a role in the movie “Taxi”. They dated for about 2.5 years before Jeff stepped up and dug (not too deep) into his pockets for some cash to purchase a 5.6 carat diamond ring. Rumors went around that Jeff didn’t have to get on one knee he was so short and she of course said YES! They’ve been married now for some time and are expecting their first child. I give Jeff Gordon two thumbs up for marrying one of the most beautiful girls I’ve ever laid eyes on. I always enjoy seeing her in the pits and he better watch out as I may come in and sweep her off her feet while he’s out there on the race course!

More pictures below!

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These are the type of events that I get excited for.  NASCAR is going to introduce a new competition on May 17th where five allstars attempt to do two doughnuts and then enter into Victory lane.  The fastest time gets $10,000 and is the official BURNOUT KING.  NASCAR in itself is a very exciting sport but when you ad little things like this… it just makes my ears tingle.  Stuff like this will only make NASCAR victories more fun to watch because you know it’s going to be a show at the end. 

The funniest part about this whole new addition is when they asked Clint Boyer to test out the idea in front of the staff and media, let’s just say he didn’t do it flawlessly.  They let Boyer demonstrate the burnouts with a Richard Petty Driving Experience car and after the first two successful burnouts he then attempted to drive the car back into pit row and he kissed the wall.  Haha… Clint Boyer kissed the wall driving the borrowed car back into pit row.

 Here’s Clint’s response, “It was Practice man.  That’s what you’re here for - to see what to do and what not to do”

Let’s just hope this was a lesson on “what not to do.”

After I heard about this new competition I wanted to see how tough it would be to complete two doughnuts and then slide it into my driveway.  I ended up doing about a dougnut and a half before I almost flipped my car… then I decided it may not be such a good idea trying to slide it into my driveway.  I never claimed to be the sharpest tool in the shed but I’m obviously not the dullest tool in the shed either.  Here’s a picture of my attempt… and YES my neighbors think i’m crazy. 

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Alright… I made a little mistake on my last post and named off all these great names that “I said” were going to be racing down in Mexico City.  The truth is… hardly anybody will be racing down there in Mexico City and I’m curious as to why.  The big name road racers such as Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon both snubbed the Mexico City race this weekend.  The only big names that will be down there racing are Kyle Busch, David Reutimann, Carl Edwards, Clint Boyer and then Scott Pruett who is one of the best road racers that have ever existed. 

 There are g0ing to be a lot of local favorites from Mexico that will be racing, one of them being Adrian Fernandez who has had three top 10 finishes in the last three Nationwide races he’s raced in down there in Mexico City.  Adrian Fernandez is a local racer and very popular with the local Mexicans who will be hoping for a home town favorite to win the big race.  He not only has a competitive advantage by knowing the race course but he also has an advantage because it’s his birthday on Sunday and I know there are a lot of generous racers out there.  Haha… I highly doubt anyone’s going to help him out though!

 Another great racer who is making a guest appearance is Sam Hornish Jr. who was the winner of the 2006 Indy 500.  Sam doesn’t have much experience if any at all in a stock car but he defintiely knows road courses and is hands down a great driver.  I don’t think he has a chance at winning this race but I have a feeling he’ll end up somewhere in the top 15. 

 I personally think it’s going to be an exciting race to watch.  Road races are a lot of fun especially when you have someone to route for.   I’m going to be pulling for Kyle Busch or Carl Edwards because they’re regulars and I highly doubt any of these randoms are going to do anything extraordinary.  I wish everyone luck and will be drinking a beer on turn 3 of the race course. 

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We’re headed to Mexico City for another big track race.  My predictions this race are going to have to go with Kyle Busch and of course Tony Stewart.  Tony Stewart always does well on road courses and well… you can never count Kyle Busch out of anything. 

 I do have a feeling some of the Formula 1 guys are going to shine this race and actually be in the hunt for some big time points.  You’ve got Franchitti, Montoya, Nemecheck, and Andretti who will all be trying to show off their skills.  Montoya currently has the track record so he’s going to be a force to be reckoned with.  They also have a better chance of speaking the native language which may give them an up when it comes to set up.

As usual I’m sticking with my good ol american boys who will hopefully show these europeans what real stock car racing is.  Mexico City is going to be one hell of a place to throw back some cervezas.  I’m not going to give into the tempting commercials which show Corona’s on a deserted beach… I’m going to stick to my drink of choice which is an ice cold budweiser.   So if you’re going to be at that race make sure you look for me on the in-feild. 

Weather conditions right now are partly sunny, 77 degrees, with a chance of championship victories.  Let me know what you think!!!!

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Congrats to Jimmie Johnson and the Hendrick Motorsports in their much needed win on Saturday night. It came down to balls and gas, and well…. Jimmie had the biggest balls and more gas than the remaining losers of the night! I’m sure I’ll get a thank you card from Jimmie in the mail this week as I believe the reason he won is because a) I didn’t jinx them with my typical “Jimmie Johnson/Hendricks Can’t Win” rants… and b) I did a beautiful post about his GORGEOUS wife Chandra Johnson!

The race in my opinion was great! I thought for a while that the story of the day was going to be all about Dale Earnhardt and his former #8 car Mark Martin. Those two were battling for first for theee longest time. But I must say overall this was one helluva race, the track conditions continued to change between sun up and sun down. Cars were too tight, too loose, too damn tough to control and pit strategies were key! I loved it. I was up till the end and can’t believe I was able to stay awake as I must have downed a case of beers in one sitting. What were your favorite moments? Do you think Chandra did anything different on race morning to give her husband the edge?

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It was less than a year ago when top ten NASCAR truck series driver Aaron Fikes (and fiancee) would be arrested for shooting up heroin in an amusement park. Let’s just say the security guards and police were not amused! The park security thought something fishy was going on when a black sheet was preventing them from seeing into the back seat of Fikes’ Toyota SUV. At first Fikes tried to flee but fortunately was unable to. The young 25 year old Fikes had nothing but great things coming to him. He had a beautiful wife, top 10 in overall standings, he had just finished 5th in the O’Reilly 200… what could go wrong? An 8 month heroin addiction took over his life!

ESPN recently had an interview with Aaron Fikes to get a better understanding of what he was going through. In the interview, fikes goes on to state he used herion prior to racing on some occassions. His career best of 5th was while he was on heroin. He of course goes onto state that NASCAR needs better drug testing policies and he’s greatful he was arrested back in 2007.

I find it hard to believe his crew and friends weren’t aware of his addiction. Maybe they were just blinded by his high finishes and didn’t want to rat on him. How could you not see his mental functioning becoming clouded due to the depression of the central nervous system. Other effects included slowed and slurred speech, slow gait, constricted pupils, droopy eyelids, impaired night vision, vomiting, constipation. I mean come on! People like this piss me off. If I had the shot at getting in one of those speed machines and racing against the top drivers in the world, there’s no way you’d see me screw things up. I’d be asleep early and making sure I eat my wheaties in the morning.

I think NASCAR should definitely step up it’s game when it comes to drug testing and not only test those under suspicion but all racers. What  are your thoughts? Maybe someone could tell me what’s so great about taking heroin or shooting it up or whatever you do with it. I’m a beer drinker at heart and never have and never will do drugs.

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Wow… Carl Edwards is kicking ass and taking names.  Three wins already this year is pretty ridiculous if you ask me considering it’s only been seven races of the season.  Carl Edwards held off Jimmie Johnson during the restart this past Sunday and prevented the Hendrick Motorsports team from getting into victory lane yet once again. 

The Samsung 500 was an eventful race to say the least.  Gordon battled an ill handling car which resulted in slamming into turn four on lap 109.  Dale Earnhardt Jr who sat on the pole also dealt with an ill handling car which caused him to to finish 12th and a lap down.  Kyle Busch battled it out throughout the whole race and ended up finishing third.  Clint Boyer and Denny Hamlin made contact with each other on the last lap which caused Boyer to hit the wall but still gave him a 10th place finish.

 Of course a Sprint Cup Race wouldn’t be a race without some sort of penalty.  Ryan Newman who finished fourth failed the post race inspection due to the right rear of his car being too high.  As usual the crew cheif was fined $25,000 and the team and owner has been penalized 25 points.  It just seems to me like this year is the year for penalties.  I don’t know if it’s the new COT’s or if these guys are just pushing the limits.

What has been your favorite race to watch this year?  I thought this one was pretty enjoyable.

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I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what YOU the readers want to see here at RonRipple.com and God only knows why I didn’t come up with this earlier. Without further adieu please welcome our first monthly NASCAR Hot Wife! Who better to start it up with than Jimmie Johnson’s incredibly beautiful hottie of a wife, Chandra Johnson!

Chandra Johnson is one hot wife in the NASCAR world.  Supposedly Jeff Godon introduced Jimmy Johnson to Chandra back in 2003 while Chandra was a Wilhelmina model in New York City.  One year later Jimmie Johnson must have said “Good Lord my wife is hot… I have to marry this woman,” and it’s been all over but the crime since December 2004.  Chandra has been very much involed with Jimmie’s racing and even helped launch the Jimmie Johnson Foundation which assists families and children who are in need.

So not only does Jimmie Johnson have an incredibly hot wife, he also has an incredibly hot wife with a great personality and big heart.

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