Jeff Foxworthy’s famous, “You Might be a Redneck if…” series of comments and jokes often apply to NASCAR fans. My favorite of all time; “If the last four words of the national anthem are, ‘Gentlemen, start your engines,’…You might be a redneck.”
But one of my other favorites is, “If you go to a NASCAR race and don’t need a program…You might be a redneck.”
At the commencement of each season, casual NASCAR fans find themselves scratching their heads at the new colors and numbers on display. My father, who follows the sport closely, (although not as closely as his son, I think we can all agree to that) asked me numerous questions on Saturday evening as we watched the Bud Shootout.
“Who is driving that car?” he asked, pointing to the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops car formerly driven by Martin Truex Jr., and currently piloted by Jamie McMurray. McMurray, whose ride was cut from Roush Fenway because of NASCAR’s four-car per team mandate, stepped into the ride because Truex decided to drive for Michael Waltrip Racing.
But one of my other favorites is, “If you go to a NASCAR race and don’t need a program…You might be a redneck.”
At the commencement of each season, casual NASCAR fans find themselves scratching their heads at the new colors and numbers on display. My father, who follows the sport closely, (although not as closely as his son, I think we can all agree to that) asked me numerous questions on Saturday evening as we watched the Bud Shootout.
“Who is driving that car?” he asked, pointing to the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops car formerly driven by Martin Truex Jr., and currently piloted by Jamie McMurray. McMurray, whose ride was cut from Roush Fenway because of NASCAR’s four-car per team mandate, stepped into the ride because Truex decided to drive for Michael Waltrip Racing.
McMurray was booted from Roush Fenway Racing, but has found a home with former boss Chip Ganassi in the No. 1 of Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing
Michael Waltrip decided that he’s focusing more on being an owner than a driver this year, and gave his ride to Truex. Waltrip is racing in the Daytona 500 with the number 51 emblazoned on the side of his car.
And McMurray’s departure from RFR means that Boris Said is locked into the top 35 in owner’s points, as he ventures into a new deal with crew chief Frank Stoddard. But the biggest change in the RFR camp comes from 2003 Winston Cup champ Matt Kenseth, who lost sponsorship with DeWalt. Crown Royal will now sponsor the No. 17 car.
Said is eligible for the season's first five races (2007 file photo)
The “Killer Bees”—Kenseth’s pit crew—will now be clad in purple and yellow. But, to be honest, from what I saw on Saturday night, I’m going to like Matt’s new scheme. It’s a good thing my dad is still on Kenseth’s said too. He wants a brand new purple hat. We’ll see what I can pull off.
And speaking of severe color changes, Mark Martin is showing off his new, bright green paint scheme compliments of GoDaddy.com. The neon green combined with bright orange and black will make finding the 51 year old easy on raceday.
Martin, in bright green and orange, will be easy to find during the day or at night. Heck, even without the lights on you'd be able to spot his car! (Getty Images)
Well, it’ll be extremely simple to find him this week since he’s starting first and all.
Brad Keselowski, a lightning rod character in the sport, takes over driving the No. 12 car for Penske Racing, replacing consistent crash joke punch line David Stremme. So when Denny Hamlin and Keselowski continue their feud it’ll be as easy as see 11 hit 12. It’s simple arithmetic.
The No. 12 car often found trouble last season. In 2010 will the driver be looking for trouble?
I know this isn’t a comprehensive list, and the 54 cars that tried to qualify for the “Great American Race” will probably be the most qualifiers for any race all season, but I hope this makes following each race easier than having to pull out the program.
Because then, well, you just aren’t a redneck.
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