Opening Day of Dale Jr.'s Corral at Victory Junction Gang Camp

On Saturday, Oct. 23, Victory Junction Gang Camp hosted an open house to show off the new Corral and Amphitheatre that was built because Dale Earnhardt Jr. donated $1 million of his own money in March.

Victory Junction Gang Camp has helped 11,000 children and families from 47 different states and three different countries since the facility opened in 2004. It's located in a town called Randleman, N.C. Victory Junction helps children with chronic illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, hemophilia as well as many other illnesses. The camp was founded by Kyle and Patty Petty after they lost their son Adam during a practice run at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway; they knew that this is what their son wanted, so they built it to keep his dream alive. Mr. and Mrs. Petty also had help from Earnhardt Jr., Kurt Busch, Michael Waltrip, Richard Petty and Tony Stewart.

There’s an arts and craft center and a bowling alley called Victory Lanes with Jimmie Johnson’s car on top of it. There’s a theater and an auditorium. There’s even a hair salon as well as a diner with a black-and-white checkers design. There’s a barn with goats, donkeys, horses and llamas! Yes, llamas - it was the first time I’ve seen them. There’s a Kurt Busch Superdome where kids can play baseball and other sports.

Dale Jr.’s Corral and Amphitheatre is a cool-looking town, western-themed in true Dale Jr. fashion and consists of a mock jail, general store, bank and outhouse. While the venue features playful and colorful buildings, the amphitheater's design is fashioned after the mock western town located on Dale Jr.'s property in Mooresville, N.C.

Dale Jr. took time away from Martinsville on Saturday to participate in the amphitheater's grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony. He took a few minutes to sign autographs and take pictures with the kids. After addressing the audience, he said goodbye and a local band played to end the day.

If you would like to find out more about my day, please visit my site, In the Driver's Seat.

All views expressed are solely those of the writer.

(The middle photo of the stage and was taken by Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Facebook page; the other three were taken by Genevieve Cadorette.)

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Fashion in NASCAR

This morning, as I was pulling on my jeans, I wondered to myself, "Just what do the NASCAR drivers wear for clothes?" So, I went on a hunt for anything that would answer my question. I stumbeled upon an aritcle on NASCAR.com from February 2008.

Of course, the first person they interviewed was Sherry Pollex, girlfriend of Martin Truex Jr., and also the owner of Lavendar Boutique in North Carolina. Pollex is obviously high fashion and describes how excited she was when Chandra Johnson wore one of her purchases from Lavendar Boutique on pit road, but she also sells her clothing to the drivers.

Kasey Kahne is a guy you would think is just simple jeans and tee-shirts everyday, right? Wrong. The Budweiser driver said "I'm pretty picky about my jeans, I'll try on ten pairs and buy zero or some days I'll buy five." Then he goes on to say the most he has ever paid for jeans, which rings in at $190. However, he said that he does not pay attention to the fashion trends on pit road.

On the other hand, Carl Edwards had not been shopping awhile and said, "My assistant Angela picks out stuff for me, but I got these boots from a People Magazine shoot a long time ago, I wear them so much I had to have them re-soled,"


Kyle Petty, famed for his iconic ponytail, said that drivers wore what they could afford back in the times of Dale Earnhardt and also says, "[Fashion] adds zero to the sport, I don't have any energy for it. What do I care about fashion? I haven't had a haircut in 15 years. I'm ready for my plaid pants and stripped shirt phase." Will someone tell this guy that plaid pants are out?!

Sherry Pollex says, "Honestly for me, it's a respect thing as well. Like church on Sundays, when I walk out there, I have a sense of pride because I'm a reflection of Martin and what he does." I am sure that most NASCAR wives would agree.

One other person that comes to my mind is DeLana Harvick. Almost every weekend during the Sprint Cup race, the wife of the 29 driver is supporting her husband by wearing her own Pennzoil firesuit. Just one of the reasons I love DeLana and what she believes in.

When you are watching the races, look at some of the things that the mothers, girlfriends, and wives are wearing. This is just example of the way that women have shaped NASCAR.

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Source: http://www.nascar.com/2008/news/features/02/22/rswan.pit.road.fashion/index.html

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