Celebrity Poker Tournament to Raise Money for Victory Junction
NASCAR DRIVERS, CELEBRITIES AND PROFESSIONAL POKER PLAYERS JOIN FORCES TO RAISE MONEY FOR VICTORY JUNCTION
Celebrity Poker Tournament to Raise Money for Kids with Chronic Illnesses Denver, CO – Black Ace Clothing is pleased to announce a celebrity charity poker tournament hosted by poker star Tiffany Michelle featuring special NASCAR guests Kyle Petty and Ryan Newman. Net proceeds from the Black Ace tournament will raise money for Victory Junction, a camp that serves children with chronic medical conditions and serious illness. The tournament will be held March 3, 2011 at 7:30pm at the Hard Rock Casino. This event will be a No Limit Texas Hold’em event with a buy in of $250 and $100 rebuys and is open to the public.
An autograph session for fans will be held from 6:30 – 7:15pm. Players will compete for cash and prizes awarded to the top finishing positions. To participate in the tournament players can register onsite at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino anytime the day of the event. “We are thrilled that Black Ace Clothing recognizes the value of Victory Junction to children across the country and was willing to create this event to ensure we see as many kids as we can in 2011”, said Kyle Petty co-founder of Victory Junction.
Scheduled to appear at the tournament are a growing list of NASCAR stars, professional Poker Pros and Hollywood personalities including: Richard Petty, Tiffany Michelle, Kyle Petty, Layne Flack, Vanessa Rousso, David Williams, Antonio Esfandiari, Maria Ho, Ryan Newman, Penn Jillette, David Alen Grier, Shaun Sipos, Bob Guiney, Dave Stewart (MLB), C Thomas Howell, Jennifer Cox, Trishelle Cannatella and more.
“Black Ace Clothing is very proud to be working with Victory Junction to help make a difference in the lives of these kids,” said Brad McCullough of Black Ace.
“Bringing together the exhilaration of live poker on the same weekend as the NASCAR race will be a winning formula for both fans and players alike. Tiffany Michelle is one of today’s most exciting poker stars and fans of both the poker and NASCAR worlds can now meet and play with their favorite personalities while supporting this unique and life-changing place.”
Check the website at www.blackaceclothing.com for more updates. About Victory Junction: Victory Junction is a year-round camping environment for children ages six to 16 with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses. Founded by Kyle and Pattie Petty in honor of their son Adam, the camp is located in Randleman, NC, with a second location opening soon in Kansas City, KS. Victory Junction offers programs for a range of disease groups and maintains strong relationships with more than 30 partner hospitals. Victory Junction’s mission is to provide life-changing camping experiences that are exciting, fun and empowering, in a safe and medically-sound environment. As a not-for-profit organization, the camp operates solely through the support of generous individuals, groups and corporations to provide this experience at no charge to children and their families. For more information or to donate, visit www.victoryjunction.org.
Trevor Bayne’s Bandwagon: Custom Made or Mass Produced?
Bandwagons are illus ional mysteries.
There are no definitive pictures, sketches or photos. Anyone can be a part of the bandwagon.
The only requirement is that you must jump on.
During a race weekend the Sprint Cup garage is truly where the action is.
At any given moment you can stop, look around, and be treated to a panorama of today’s NASCAR.
A simple check of visual acuity will tell you who the reigning Sprint Cup Champion is, where each driver stacks up in points, and which drivers carry the burden of go-or-go home.
During speed weeks at Daytona, a trip through the back side of the Sprint Cup garage is where you would find the go-or-go home rides of Derrick Cope, Joe Nemechek, Michael Waltrip, Casey Mears and the car of a young kid named Trevor Bayne.
Bayne made it clear during qualifying that he wasn’t going home. Running a fast lap of 185.445 mph secured the outside of row 1, until Dale Earnhardt Jr. bumped him to third.
After finishing 19th because of a last lap crash in his Gatorade Duel, Bayne would settle for a 32nd starting position in the Daytona 500.
By now just about everyone around the world has heard the news about the outcome of the Great American Race.
Winning the Daytona 500 is the difference between I am here and here I am!
Construction of the Trevor Bayne bandwagon began right about the time the checkered flag waved.
It’s quite possible the shape and size was determined by the amount of space occupied by friends, media, sponsors and fans.
Who, or what, drives the bandwagon can also be considered an anomaly. Those entities driving the positive side are almost certainly jockeying for position with those driving the negative side. For Trevor Bayne, both carriages will carry many occupants.
No matter which bandwagon carries the majority, it doesn’t mean it’s the right one for the bandwagon namesake.
In this case, Trevor Bayne, his handlers, or advisors, have many options and many decisions to make in the coming weeks. Those decisions have to be what’s best for him, and may not be what’s popular with the bandwagon construction crew.
Being thrust into a career change because of one successful event can be very costly and damaging, especially if the one being thrust is not ready, or even worse, not capable of handling it.
Previous Daytona 500 winner Derrick Cope, and Sprint Cup single event winner Brad Kezelowski had similar bandwagons constructed for them.
Bandwagons are a dime a dozen, made of opinionated materials and painted with water colors.
Unfortunately, bandwagons also come without warranties.
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[/media-credit]Winning a single race only proves you can win; it doesn’t make you a proven winner.
NASCAR will head out to Phoenix in a few short days. Construction on the next bandwagon begins soon.
Hot 20 over the past 10 as they race at Phoenix
So, who is the hottest driver thus far this season? Well, that would be 20-year old Trevor Bayne. The kid wins the Daytona 500 his first time out, but he is slated to be a Nationwide driver this season, so he got the win but no points. Is that fair? Is it fair to have Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards, Clint Bowyer, Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski the junior series champs these past five years? No, so let the young man and those like him have a shot at attaining glory amongst their peers before reaching for the brass ring. Of course, one of them already has one sitting in his pocket.
As for the hottest driver over the past ten events run in Cup, that would remain five-time champ Jimmie Johnson. As they move on to Phoenix for this Sunday’s event, each driver would need to match his efforts of ten races ago, in Dover, to maintain their pace. For Johnson, that would mean winning.
Pos – Driver – Points – (Pts at Dover in Sept)
1 (1) Jimmie Johnson 385 pts (48 at Dover)
“I am the champion, my friends, and I’ll keep on fighting til the end.”
2 (3) Denny Hamlin -25 (35 at Dover)
Always a Chaser, never a Champ.
3 (2) Kevin Harvick -34 (29 at Dover)
Had one of the best damn engines out there…for 20 laps.
4 (5) Mark Martin -36 (32 at Dover)
Has a decent start to his final year with Hendrick
5 (4) Carl Edwards -39 (40 at Dover)
With Bayne still in diapers, it is Cousin Carl who leads the standings
6 (6) Joey Logano -59 (42 at Dover)
Now has company at the kiddie’s table
7 (7) Matt Kenseth -82 (29 at Dover)
Not miffed that he got Biffed at Daytona
8 (11) Tony Stewart -89 (23 at Dover)
Where, oh where, can his Junior be?
9 (9) Jamie McMurray -92 (31 at Dover)
Eight cylinders beat seven every time.
10 (14) Paul Menard -95 (37 at Dover)
Daddy has some money, Sonny has some momentum
11 (12) A.J. Allmendinger -97 (36 at Dover)
Sitting in a car fit for a King.
12 (9) Ryan Newman -104 (36 at Dover)
Adequate start, unfortunate Daytona finish
13 (10) Greg Biffle -111 (25 at Dover)
Daytona? He thought it was Demo Derby.
14 (16) Kurt Busch -111 (41 at Dover)
Brother, where art thou?
15 (15) Kyle Busch -116 (39 at Dover)
The driver was stable, the car was not.
16 (18) Juan Pablo Montoya -116 (30 at Dover)
The march to the top has begun.
17 (17) Clint Bowyer -121 (19 at Dover)
Second in the Nationwide race, no points. Knows how Bayne feels.
18 (13) Jeff Gordon -128 (33 at Dover)
Winning five titles apparently aint easy.
19 (19) David Ragan -131 (20 at Dover)
When you re-start to the right, you need to stay to the right
20 (20) Regan Smith -132 (18 at Dover)
The folks at Furniture Row are riding their own Rocky Mountain high.
Race Talk Radio’s Dennis Michelsen and Lori Munro host a weekly poll of the top 20 drivers, as selected by pundits that include yours truly, Bob Dillner, Monte Dutton, Tom Bowles and a host of others. Check it out at racetalkradio.com
NASCAR’s Savior. Is it Trevor Bayne? Or Is That a Dream?
As Trevor Bayne makes his victory tour this week, the question remains. Is he the savior of NASCAR or will the throngs be disappointed as he struggles through the next few races finding his way? Truth is, Daytona (and Talladega—both restrictor plate tracks) seem to create different kinds of winners. You can go down the list—Cope, Hamilton, Lund, Michael Waltrip, and many others. Guys who are competent drivers, but who didn’t do much outside of the two plate tracks. Yes, there is evidence that Bayne is the real deal, but is he?
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[/media-credit]Another factor to consider is the Wood Brothers, or in this case, the Wood cousins. Eddie Wood and Len Wood are the sons of Glen and Leonard Wood. They are old school and as much as I want them to dominate the series once again, that is not likely for various reasons. I listened to Buddy Baker talk about the Woods tonight on Sirius radio. His comment that an owner with a wrench in his pocket (speaking of Eddie Wood) is admirable and what I think the sport is, or at least was, all about may not be realistic in 2011. With all my being, I hope it is relevant, but I have my doubts. And I hate that I have doubts.
The first hurdle that the Woods have to jump is that Trevor Bayne is contracted to Roush-Fenway Racing. There is no doubt that at some point that Bayne will appear in a RFR car at some point, leaving the Woods high and dry. The agreement the Woods have is similar to the one Richard Petty Motorsports have with RFR. Roush supplies the chassis and engines for their cars and prepare the cars. Part of the deal for 2011 included Bayne for as many races as the Woods could get sponsorship (and you have to wonder what part Roush had in getting those points for the first five races had to do with RFR’s alliance with Richard Petty Motorsports). That said, with David Ragan on shaky ground at RFR and contract negotiations ongoing with Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards, who’s to say that Bayne could end up in one of those cars sooner than later? And that would leave the Woods to sign Ragan or another has-been driver. I shudder at the thought.
The best case scenario is that Bayne continues his brilliance at Phoenix, Las Vegas, Bristol, and Martinsville, and the Woods get enough sponsorship to continue. The Wood Brothers deserve it and the Sprint Cup series could reach a new level.
For so long I’ve heard the rumbling from fans. Yes, many adore Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, and certainly Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Others like Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick, and Clint Bowyer. The same could be said for Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, and Joey Logano, as well as Jamie McMurray, but for so long, while Hendrick Motorsports fans, Richard Childress Racing fans, and Joe Gibbs Racing fans have been happy, the great silent majority wants to see someone else win. Trevor Bayne gave everyone a chance to cheer on February 20th, much like Jamie McMurray did in 2010, but it has to continue. If the sport is to flourish like it did in days past, it must happen beyond Roush-Fenway Racing, Richard Childress Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, and Joe Gibbs Racing. The future of NASCAR depends on it.
