NASCAR's Biggest Fan – Girl of the Week | Ron Ripple

This weekend the boys will be hitting the Pocono track and boy am I excited.  I didn’t post much this week because frankly I was tired of everyone talking about the tire issues NASCAR dealt with last weekend.

Just my .02 cents… NASCAR needs to start testing tires there for next year otherwise we’re going to run into this issue year after year.  Ryan Newman seems to be the only one voicing his opinion which as you all know I love.  Maybe he’s starting to speak out because he’s going to be one of Stewart’s boys next year.

Anyway… Pocono is always a blast of a race to watch.  It’s a funky triangular shaped track that makes for great racing.  I think there’s going to be a lot of competitive racing here especially with us getting so close to the final 12 races.

Who are my picks for this weekend?  I think there’s going to be a lot of top contenders out there especially since we saw a few guys from the Hendrick team out in front last weekend.  I have a feeling it’s going to be a couple guys out there dominating… Kyle Busch of course… Jeff Gordon again this weekend (He always seems to do well here)… and I think we may see Carl Edwards back up there in the front.

Carl Edwards has been impressing me with his intense driving on the course even though he has that “nice guy” attitude off the course.  He’s been showing the world that not all “nice guys finish last.”  One thing is for sure… he’s gonna have to show Kyle Busch this is true because if he’s wrong… Kyle Busch (cocky guy) is going to finish first.

Great racing to come… I look forward to discussing this race with you all on Monday.  Make sure you guys drink a bunch of beer this weekend because POCONOOOO… HERE WE COMMEEEE!

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Nicky Fleites… WOW! I saw this young lady at the Daytona 500 a couple years ago and just about walked into a pole. Me being the ladies man that I am… I walked up to her and introduced myself. I hate to admit it… she blew me off but did give me quite the compliment. I’ll never forget it… she said “Now that’s a Beautiful Mullet.” I told her… “Little darlin, this mullet is years of perfection.” Here’s a little info about Nicky Fleites! Make sure you friend request her on myspace… she’s single and bilingual.

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The Allstate 400 was an interesting race to say the least… it came down to who had the fastest pit times and who could keep their tires from exploding. 

NASCAR delt with a tough situation this past Sunday and took the race into their own hands.  I think they did a great job by preventing further wrecks from taking place and I’m glad to see they were taking this seriously.  NASCAR officials implemented scheduled cautions that required teams to come in and make adjustments and tire changes.  As much as I love to see racers race, I don’t like to see teams race their ass off and have a tire explode and blow their chances. 

From the start of the race it looked like it was going to be a Hendrick Motorsports race from start to finish.  Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon were driving around the track as if they had about 1,000 extra horse power.  In some of the scheduled pit stops they would come out 4th or 5th and immediately make their way back to the front.  They had a lot of great team work and were extremely dominate for most of the race.

Another driver that impressed me was Carl Edwards.  Carl Edwards has been a competitive driver this year and has shown the world he’s a contender.  This weekend he ran extremely strong and had one of the fastest cars of the day.  I thought he almost had it after the last pit stop… but like I said before… Jimmie Johnson was strong and held him off. 

This was a tough weekend for NASCAR officials and for the crews.  The tires only lasted about 7 laps before you saw cord and to run a race where every 7 laps you needed a new set of tires, isn’t really racing.  Obviously the racers are watching what they say about Goodyear, especially since Tony Stewart created drama at the beginning of the year.  But Goodyear needs to start testing tires at Indy considering they run into this problem every single year. 

I must applaud the teams and NASCAR for turning the situation into a positive.  Every single team owner they interviewed said positive things about the actions NASCAR was taking and didn’t place any blame on Goodyear.  I thought what Joe Gibbs said was perfect “every team is going through this so not one team is at an advantage.”

It was just another day of racing and another race closer to the Sprint Cup Championship.

P.S. Look out for our “Girl of the Week” later today.

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As much as I call Jeff Gordon out for being a wine drinker… I figured I could help change my own feelings about him by converting him into a beer drinker.

Jeff Gordon is an incredible racer and is one of the best NASCAR driver’s that ever lived.  He’s married to an absolutely gorgeous wife, Ingrid Vandebosch, and has an absolutely beautiful little daughter.  The guy is defintiely living the life but for some odd reason I just can’t get over the fact that the guy is a wine drinker and won’t convert himself over to beer.

If you walk into a NASCAR event and walk up to the concession stands you’re not going to find any wine… it’s strictly beer.  Going into the in-field where the fans are, you see nothing but keg stands and beer funnels.  I can guarantee you, not one person will be doing a wine stand or wine funnel.  It’s just not the way us NASCAR fans live.

This 7 step program is written to Jeff Gordon.

I’ve created “Ron Ripple’s 7 step program of converting YOU (Jeff Gordon)… into a beer drinker.”  When I’m done with you Jeff, you’re not only going to be drinking beer, but you’ll also be drinking beer with cheese.  haha!

 Ok here we go….

Step 1: Buy a few cases of different beer!

The world is filled with a ton of different brands of beer.  You’ve got Budwieser, Miller, Natural Light, Millwaukee’s Best, and of course you’ve got the snobs who drink Corona Light, Amstel, and the list goes on.  The point of buying multiple cases of beer is everyone has their own flavor and you don’t want to get the wrong impression of beer just because you don’t like one! It’s not true that you try one you’ve tried em all.

Step 2: Find the Beer you dislike the least and buy a keg of it!

The point of buying a keg is that we’re going to be taste testing and I’ll be teaching you the different techniques that will help you “Acquire” the taste of beer. (I reckon I was born with the acquired taste, it’s unfortunate you weren’t)

Step 3: Study the Keg… become one with the keg!

Jeff… this is a very important part about “learning to love beer.”  You first have to sit with the keg and understand its fundamentals and functionality of it. You must be one with the beer… and when I say this I really mean SIT with the beer.  Enjoy it’s company… start a relationship with the beer, talk to it, go deep Jeff.  You want to form the type of relationship where you miss it even making a trip to the little boys room.

Step 4: Do your first Keg Stand!

Grab your wife and kids and have them hold your feet above the keg while you do a hand stand.  Place the spout in your mouth and count in “mississippi seconds” until your little frame can’t take any more… the longer the better. I currently hold the NASCAR Fan record for most time.. Back in 99 I was able to take a keg stand while Jeff and the rest of the racers ran 9 laps during the Daytona 500.  Nobody has beat the record to this day!

This step is important because by now you already have a buzz and the taste is starting to get better.  Jeff, I know this is a buzz you’re not used too, but just remember you won’t have the so called “wine headache” in the morning.

Step 5: Funnel a beer!

This sounds very easy and it actually is.  Mr. Gordon… I’ve mailed you your first beer funnel so now is the time to use it.  No… it wasn’t meant to siphon gas… it’s meant to get you to the next level!  I know you’re not used to drinking quickly especially when you’re sipping on wine, but this is a crowd pleaser and helps you get accepted by peers. (I’ll accept you)

Side note: Driving a NASCAR isn’t the only way to get people out of their seats, the more beer you funnel… the more fans you’ll have and the louder the chant.  Another positive spin  is the effect it has on your vision… women look more attractive. Obviously you don’t have to worry about that considering you’re married to a super model, but it sure as hell helps me out.

Jeff finally acquiring the taste!

Step 6: Now that you’ve somewhat acquired the taste… invite friends over for a game of beer pong!

Jeff… you probably don’t know what beer pong is so let me explain it to you.  Beer pong is a game where “skilled beer drinkers” compete with each other by setting up about 15 cups filled half full of beer half way on each side of a ping pong table.  You then pick a partner and hope for the best… try to pick a partner who is the least drunk because the object of the game is to  aim for the cups and sink as many ping pong balls as you can.

You’re probably a little overwhelmed right now because you’re pretty drunk but aren’t you having more fun with your friends than usual? Sit back and take this in… it’s a new lifestyle.

Step 7: Continue drinking till you pass out… you’ll sleep a lot better!

Mr Gordon, this is the last and final step that can not be forgotten.  It’s quite simple I reckon, just continue drinking until you pass out.  This step takes a long time for someone like me who has been drinking beer all my life… but for you, I can guarantee you’ll probably pass out around 9:00 PM if you started at 7:00 pm.

You’ll be amazed with the quality sleep and the amount of sleep you get when passing out after drinking. No interruptions, the dog barking won’t faze you, the wife nagging will be automatically ignored… it’s just the best sleep you’ll ever get. Nighty Night Jeff.

Conclusion

Jeff I hope you take my 7 steps seriously and give it a try. If you need a few drinking partners feel free to email me. I really think you’re a great racer and I want to see you out there with the boys drinking beer instead of wine. Leave the wine to who it’s made for… the women!  I’ve heard it from a number of the different drivers the reason why they don’t invite you out for a beer… it’s simply because they think the wine drinking is too girly.

Image is everything.

E-mail me back when you get a chance… I want to know your thoughts.

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Since Tony Stewart will be leaving the Joe Gibbs Team at the end of the season, Joe Gibbs now has an available seat that is in need of a fresh driver.  Is Logano the Man or shall I say “boy” for the job?  He has proven his ability in the Nationwide Series, but does he have the experience to play with the big dogs?

Joey Logano is an incredibly talented driver who has proved himself to the world that he can compete with the Nationwide Series drivers at the young age of 18.  When he turned 18 years old he raced his first race with the Nationwide series and ended up with a 6th place.  Nobody expected him to do as well as he did and he’s been proving himself ever since with 2 poles and 1 win having only competed in a total of 5 races.  Joey Logano is the real deal… but does he have enough experience to compete with the big dogs in the Sprint Cup?

I think Joey Logano is a great driver but personally don’t think he has enough experience to compete with the Sprint Cup racers.  On Sunday the top racers in the WORLD drive out on the track and every one of them has the ability and talent that Logano has.  The difference between Joey Logano and Tony Stewart is experience and the only way to gain experience is to continue to race with the Nationwide guys.

If I were Joe Gibbs I would weigh out my options and make sure I’m making the right decision.  Joey Logano is an incredible racer and will one day be on top in Sprint Cup Series but now is not the time.  There are so many great drivers out there jockeying for position and trying to secure a spot for next year.

Ryan Newman for example is one of those great drivers looking to make a decision on where he’s going to be racing next year.  We all know rumors are stating he’s looking to join Tony Stewart in his venture but why would you, as an experienced and top driver, pick a team who will be going through growing pains for the next year or so?  Newman should join a team that knows how to win and who has the formula to win, that team being Joe Gibbs in the #20 car.

The Man, the myth, the legend, GREGGGG ZIPADELLLLIIIII

Whoever drive’s for the #20 car next year is going to be sitting in a proven car.  The #20 car is a winning car that has not only won races but has also won Championships.  It’s a car that comes with an experienced crew led by crew chief Greg Zipadelli… so the future of this car is in good hands and will have the ability to win.

It has to be tough as a crew cheif not knowing who your driver will be next year.  I’m sure he’s focused on this year but with all the hype and rumors going around about the #20 car, I’ll bet he’s anxious to find out.  Who knows… maybe he already knows who will be racing with him.  I guess the only thing we can do is wait and see. 

I feel like the only thing we hear these days are rumors… the only FACTS out there is Tony Stewart changing teams and Jeff Gordon popping more wine bottles.  One of these days I’m going to get Gordon to do a keg stand… So if you’re out there reading this Jeff, you better start practicing.

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Since Tony Stewart has officially signed up as Driver and Team Owner with Haas CNC, the new team is now looking for other drivers.   I mentioned before I heard rumors Ryan Newman was going to be realeased from Penske and was going to join his good friend Stewart on the new team.  Well it looks as if these rumors are becoming a reality.

We all know Ryan Newman has been released from the Penske team earlier last week, but he still has yet to say who he plans to race for next year.  In my opinion we all KNOW he’s going to be racing with Stewart-Haas Racing, but the only question is when he is going to make the announcement?

I personally think he’s going to make the announcement later on in the year… maybe Britsol or Dover.   I think he wants to stay focused on Penske and trying to finish the year by getting into the chase.  He currently sits in 16th place and has a lot of points to make up if he thinks he’s going to make it into the top 12. 

Ryan Newman is a great racer and has a lot of potential to be a superstar… he just needs to focus on finishing this year and doing the best he can.  A lot of drivers this year are worried about what’s going to happen next year and who’s going to be racing where, I just think they need to stay focused on this year and making sure their sponsors are happy.

Racers need sponsors in order to race, so they need to make sure their sponsors are happy so they can race another race. 

Will the new Stewart-Haas Racing have a third car? 

The rumor mill never stops churning… there are more rumors going around in the pits there may be another driver who will be racing for the new Stewart-Haas team.  Who is this new driver?  Are they going to make it a three car team?  Is Tony Stewart the new Joe Gibbs?

The rumors aren’t yet confirmed but it seems as though there are serious talks Martin Truex Jr will be leaving DEI to join the Stewart Haas Team. 

I think it would be great if Martin Truex Jr joined my boy Tony Stewart in his new venture.  We all know DEI is having a tough time trying to survive in today’s economy and the word on the street is Teresa is looking for investors to help back the team.  Well it looks like they’re starting to lose their drivers now and Martin Truex Jr is going to be making a decision on where he wants to race.

When DEI got busted for their hood not being legal, Martin Truex Jr threw a fit and was furious with the results.  It put a $100,000 damper on the teams wallet as well as hurt Truex in the points.  Martin Truex Jr is focused on winning and it seems as though every team wants him.

Martin Truex Jr has a tough decision to make especially if he decides to go with Tony Stewart.  I think Stewart Haas is eventually going to be a great team but I think it’s going to take a little time for them to gel.  It’s basically going to be a brand new team because Stewart plans on going in there and cutting jobs and piecing together crews.

I’m excited to see what happens with the team and I can only imagine it’s going to be first class.  Stewart is setting himself up to be a legend and it’s always good to start now before it gets to late.  He’s on top of the world and with his new venture it will only better his image and life in the NASCAR world.

Who do you think would be a dream team of drivers?  If you had the deepest pockets in the world and were to design your own dream team of racers who would you pick? 

I would pick Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, and Kevin Harvick.  I think these guys would be an incredible dream team.

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This weekend I finally have a nice break from this stressfull life I live filled with NASCAR drama.  The next Sprint Cup race isn’t till next weekend so everyone sit back relax and let’s just enjoy the Nationwide race today in KY. 

I was going to write an article about Kyle Busch and his chance to win a trifecta with the truck series but I decided not to because I look at the title of my past articles and about 95% of them have to do with him.

Enjoy your weekend my fellow NASCAR fans and look for my up coming controversial post on Monday.

Ron Ripple

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Ron Ripple himself (that’s me) is being recognized by Forbes Magazine this month in their Celebrity Issue.  Forbes Magazine is one of the top magazines in the world known to feature the richest and most famous people ever.  Ok… so they’re obviously not recognizing me for being one of the richest people in the world… but I still made FORBES for being NASCAR’s Biggest Fan. 

Forbes Magazine contacted me about 2 1/2 months ago saying and I quote “I’d like to tell you how badass you are… and I would also like to feature you in Forbes Magazine, as NASCAR’s #1 Fan.”

At first I thought this is really a sick joke that one of my beer drinking friends were playing on me.  I really wasn’t excited or anything but then I noticed the e-mail address came from Forbes and there was also a phone number.  So I picked up the phone and called this young lady who proceeded to tell me how excited she was to be talking to NASCAR’s Biggest fan.  Boy let me tell you what… I think she could tell that I was blushing from the other side of the phone.

Forbes Magazine was trying to get in touch with me… this beer drinking NASCAR fan who has no fortune or celebrity status except for this website on the so called World Wide Web.  At first I was curious as to how they got a hold of me.  Had they talked to my boys down at the track such as Tony Stewart or Dale Earnhardt Jr?  Did they call Kyle Busch and ask him who annoys him the most or who is a fly he can’t get rid of when he’s down in the pits?  Of course I knew they would say me, but when she finally admitted how she found me I was shocked…  she simply said Google.

After our brief conversation we set up dates on when she was going to interview me and shoot the photos for the magazine.  When the interview date came she called me up and I gave her an incredible interview filled with exciting quotes and tons of information.  At least I think I did… I guess we’ll find out on the 22nd!

One of the things Forbes requested from me was a place to shoot when they sent their photographers down.  I didn’t even hesitate when they asked me this so I immediately called my boy Craig Waters down in Bradenton.  Craig is a great friend of mine and is known for his incredibly decorated garage.  The guy has created a NASCAR heaven that’s jam packed with 3 flat screen TVs, 100′s of posters, 20+ DieCast cars, old race tires, a pool table, work bench, tool chest, couch, and the list could go on.   Click on the photos below to check it out!

About a month later Forbes sent down photographers to take pictures of me… well in reality they couldn’t take pictures of me, so they took pictures of my creators Blake and Brock Gratton.  I won’t get into who Blake and Brock Gratton are but let’s just say they’re kind of a big deal around here.  Ron Ripple wouldn’t be here without them.

But the rest is history and the magazine comes out on July 22nd which is right around the corner.  I’ve put up a count down on the right side of the page so make sure you Ron Ripplers pick up a copy.  I’m so excited and honored to be featured in the magazine and I couldn’t have done this without my readers. 

Thank you all and make sure you continue to read.

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The unstoppable Kyle Busch sweeps in Chicagoland. He not only wins the Nationwide Cup race but also surprisingly wins the Sprint Cup race on Saturday night on the last lap. I don’t know about my readers, but I’m sick of hearing and talking about Kyle Busch. I love watching him on the track, don’t get me wrong… but with all the wins Kyle Busch has it seems as if this website is geared towards him. And it’s not. How can I stop talking about him? The kid continues to amaze the world with his relentless victories.

Saturday Night’s Sprint Cup race was one helluva race.  Leaders included Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Greg Biffle, Vickers, Johnson, Kenseth, Kurt Busch and well… I had my heart set on my boy Tony Stewart who ran hard and in the top 5 all race but unfortunately lead for a VERY short time. I was hoping and praying that he would have a chance to take this race home but it never came to fruition. I was on the edge of my seat the entire race and may have quite possibly drank 10 to many beers, but what happens during a NASCAR race happens. I reckon I can’t be accountable for something that I just can not control and when my boy is in the top 5 is when I really start to pound the beers.

The last 25 laps came down to three of the strongest cars all night: Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick. It looked like once again Kyle Busch was going to win this race unchallenged, and that’s when Jimmie Johnson charged to the front passing Kyle Busch on the inside. The man exploded past Kyle and never turned back it was lap 16 and there was no stopping him. Busch was heard radio’ing to his crew “race over”. It was evident Jimmie had the strongest car at that point and there wasn’t much that could be done until Gililand caused a yellow flag giving Busch another opportunity. Jimmie Johnson wasn’t concerned, “Before that last caution came out, we were gone. … And you know, we had such a great car I really felt like the restart would come and we would march off and be fine,”

Take a look at the last 16 laps and the incredible restart Kyle Busch had… with two laps left Busch was able to squeeze by Johnson on the outside where it was all over but the crime.

Side Notes: Carl Edwards has had a strong season thus far and lead a few laps here in Chicagoland, he unfortunately broke his splitter brace which would put him out of contention. Earnhardt struggled all race finishing in 16th along with Kasey Kahne in 15th. The Newman joining Stewart talk is still running rapid in the pits and it sounds to ME that Newman will in fact be racing for Stewart-Haas. The two are friends on and off the track, they’re both from Indiana and it just so happens Newman’s contract is up after this season with Penske.

For those of you who heard the rumors of Obama sponsoring a Sprint Cup team. “The Obama campaign will not be sponsoring a car in the Sprint Cup Series, though we will continue to look for ways to reach out to voters and convey Senator Obama’s message of change.” said Bill Burton, an Obama campaign spokesman. I also read a news article written by USNEWS.com where they interviewed Jimmie Johnson and Chandra Johnson and spoke about NASCAR fans being McCain supporters. I also wanted to thank USNEWS.com for referencing my website in their article!

Thanks for the traffic. Alright Ron Ripplers… What were your thoughts for the race?

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I just added a new addition to the website called “Girl of the Week.”  In this section of the webiste I will be introducing you to some of the hottest NASCAR fans ever.

Make sure you check it out… and let me know if you are opposed to the new addition.

Thanks,

Ron Ripple

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