NASCAR Creates Snitch Line & Sends Bad Tweet, One Driver Hospitalized, Another With Miss North Carolina
Oh, you thought NASCAR was going to have a quiet offseason? Buddy, think again!
We have one driver hooking up with Miss North Carolina, one former driver decking the halls with a wild outfit, the sport creating a SNITCH LINE to ruin all the fun and a late nomination for Worst Tweet of 2022.
We also have a former NASCAR legend - Red Farmer - back in the hospital, but in good spirits and ready to rally like the champ he is.
Oh yeah, Ryan Blaney also called Russell Wilson a weirdo. Duh.
I miss anything? Didn't think so!
Four reindeer, enough fuel to get Santa's sleigh around the globe in a timely manner, and maybe leave a couple Busch Lights near the chimney to help him rehydrate.
Monday Morning Pit-Stop - 'Emptying-The-Tank-Before-Mailing-It-In-For-The-Next-Week-Edition' - is FULL POWER!
NASCAR wants to know the 411. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images)
NASCAR creates anonymous-tip-line for gambling
OK, let's start with one of the ... weirder ... stories of the NASCAR offseason.
Quick, who had 'NASCAR partnering with a company to help implement a weird snitch line' on their bingo card? Didn't think so.
Late last week, the powers that be announced a partnership with RealResponse - an organization that will supposedly allow NASCAR members and others to report concerns and issues anonymously.
Concerns can include a variety of things, ranging from competition-based items such as gambling or integrity, to safety and security, to mental health.
Apparently, anyone can just fire up the RealResponse app (I assume it's an app because EVERYTHING is an app nowadays), type in their concern, and it's then anonymously sent to a NASCAR official.
I don't know about you, but this bad boy can get real spicy, real quick.
Hopefully it's never, ever used for the serious stuff, including "abuse or sexual harassment," but don't you think for a second I'm not rooting for a mid-summer anonymous tip accusing another team of cheating.
What drama.
NASCAR's 'Happy Holidays' tweet doesn't go well
Speaking of drama, let's head over to Twitter, where things are burning to the ground in incredible fashion (vote no!).
Anyway, whoever runs NASCAR's Twitter account decided to wish us all 'Happy Holidays' over the weekend, and the weird wording went over as well as you'd expect with the fanbase.
Look, let's just be honest here ... it's a weird tweet, right? Personally, I don't really care because I have enough things in my life to be angry at, but I do see why people were pissed. And, believe me, they were PISSED.
I'm going to be honest, I don't think I've EVER seen a holiday greeting start with "To all those celebrating this month." Like, what? Why?
WHY?!
Who in the world is NASCAR afraid of offending? Seriously. Are they really that scared of the mob that someone in marketing said, 'Hey, guys, let's play this on the safe side and not offend the people in America who don't celebrate the holiday season.'
Here, how about this: "Happy Holidays, from NASCAR!"
There. Fixed it. Nobody would've cared and we all move on.
Red Farmer in the hospital, but ready to get back to Talladega. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images for True Speed Communication)
Red Farmer hospitalized with double pneumonia
All right, last serious thing here before we move on to the fun stuff.
Shoutout to NASCAR Hall of Famer Red Farmer, who's battling double pneumonia, which sounds awful.
Farmer is an absolute legend of the sport, and, at 90, STILL races. Seriously, he told one local news station he needs to get this nonsense out of his system so he can run the 75th Ice Bowl at Talladega next month.
I mean, come on. Man amongst boys right there, folks. Farmer, by the way, beat COVID and pneumonia earlier this year, and his double-wide was also destroyed by a tornado last spring. True story.
Doesn't matter. Guy just wants to get back to 'Dega, STAT.
Iconic.
Ross Chastain watches Chargers with Miss North Carolina
Have a damn year, Ross Chastain!
Last week, NASCAR's Most Famous Watermelon Farmer became an absolute star for getting tanked at an office Christmas party.
Now, Chastain is staying hot by watching Justin Herbert sling the pigskin around with former Miss North Carolina Erika Anne Turner.
Ross Chastain is sizzling right now.
Stay hot, Ross The Boss! Love the direction our guy is headed right now, and don't know who - or what - is gonna stop him at this point.
One week you're going viral for an insane move at Martinsville, the next you're hopping through the streets as an elf, and the next you're hanging out with Miss NC.
What a year.
Ryan Blaney is off the Russell Wilson train, like everyone else
On our way out, let's kick some dirt on Russell Wilson while he's already down and out (and at a casino).
Ryan Blaney, like the rest of society, is apparently done with Wilson's schtick, too, telling the Garage Guys podcast that he fully retracts his previous support of the Broncos' QB.
And by "retract" I mean he called Wilson exactly what he is: a weirdo.
Merry Christmas, from NASCAR legend Bobby Labonte
On our way out, Part 2!
I was going to save this for next week, but Christmas will be over by then so I'll break it out now.
Merry Christmas from 2000 Winston Cup Series champion, and NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Labonte!
It just doesn't get better than that, folks. Some may call Bobby Labonte boring, and that's your own opinion and you're certainly entitled to it.
But it's very, very wrong.
All right, that's all from me. Merry Christmas (sorry, NASCAR!).
Take us home, Larry Mac!