Cheryl Walker, or the ‘CAW’ half of ‘CawsnJaws’, has been calling for a ‘NASCAR Hottie Calendar’, made up with pictures of NASCAR’s hottest men, for nearly four years now.

This is Joshua Walker’s, (JAW’s) commentary on the issue of NASCAR’s Hotties, from a strictly male point-of-view.

We all know that many NASCAR drivers are considered some of the hottest athletes around. But what about the Hottie Factor for the women of NASCAR? You don’t have to look far to find some of the sexiest women in NASCAR, as they are right next to the drivers. (One of these days they may be both.)

I used a ‘Hottie Fire Scale’ to rate these beautiful women. If any of these hotties are no longer with their designated men, they are welcome to contact me at any time. I promise to appreciate them completely.

1. Adrienne Groce, Jon Wood’s girlfriend.

Adrienne easily scores a 6.9 on my Fire Scale. She is artistic and athletic with the spirit of a race fan. Jon is always happy off and on the track.

2. Nicole Biffle, Greg Biffle’s wife.

With a score of 7.3 out of 10 on my Fire Scale Nicole can really show us guys how unique NASCAR wives can be. A tall mysterious brunette can steal away the heart of any race fan. Biffle always has a smile with her around.

3. Amanda Prince, Elliott Sadler’s girlfriend

Cute will get you a 7.4 on my Fire Scale. I can’t find many other girls cuter than her. Elliott’s luck is on fire with her around.

4. Kristin Buntain, Denny Hamlin’s fiancée

All I can say is 7.5 on my Fire Scale. Blond bombshell relates to many women and Kristen fits right in with them. Denny always has her in victory lane.

5. Stephanie Hamilton, Bobby Hamilton Jr.’s wife

Stephanie flames the Fire Scale at 7.7. She has fire resistant clothes on all the time because she is one of NASCAR’s hottest girls. Even after a crash Bobby Hamilton Jr. can have a half-smile with her around.

Read more Twelve suggestions for a ‘Women of NASCAR Hottie Calendar’ ...

Back in the day Bobby Labonte was revered as a NASCAR superstar. He was winning races and leaning into the hearts of Americans. He had championships and top 10 points finishes every season. He had legendary battles with NASCAR superstars; often resulting in a win. He was one of the top 5 drivers in NASCAR with his appearance in every ad, commercial, picture, or diecast. Every NASCAR fan thought of Bobby Labonte as one of the toughest competitors every week. Every newspaper and magazine wanted to feature Bobby in their articles and reports. On NASCAR.com Bobby was in every advertisement they had for “Your favorite driver”. He was on the cover of every magazine like Beckett. In Beckett magazine his trading cards were valued as one of the top five most expensive. He was a true champion.

As Bobby reached the 2003 season his popularity had sunk along with his race finishes. After 2003 he had no wins for the next 4 years straight. It had become an all-time low for him. Most of 2004, 2005, and 2006 were full of disappointment for Bobby Labonte. His finishes were filled with crashes and poor speed. He began to disappear from NASCAR’s advertisements, commercials and pictures. During race broadcasts Bobby had begun to disappear from getting coverage. Everyone began to focus on younger drivers. By the start of 2007 Bobby had fallen out of the top 20 NASCAR drives in competition and popularity. He did have a few good moments of hope for his career.

In 2005 he barely lost the Coca-Cola 600 by a few feet over Jimmie Johnson. He had worked harder than any driver in that race to try to win, and he needed than win more than Jimmie Johnson did. He avoided every big crash and problem that each driver had had. His car was without a scratch and ready to race at the end. Also in 2005 he won a great truck series race for Dennis Setzer. He barely lost to Ron Hornaday a week before at Atlanta in an exciting photo finish. He came into Martinsville looking for redemption for a disappointing loss the week before. He worked his way up through the field and stayed out on a pit stop strategy move. He held off all challengers to win his first truck race.

In 2007 Bobby was looking for another win any way he could get one. His Cup Series ride was a little better than the year before but it was not quite good enough for a win. In the Busch Series Bobby was now the main driver for Kevin Harvick’s Dollar General Chevy. He was competitive every week. He came into Talladega not knowing what to expect due to his usual poor finishes there. He did not qualify well because he was set up for a race set-up. He ran most of the day in the back of the pack. He avoided the pile ups including Kyle Bush’s wild wreck. After a green/white/checker finish got underway Bobby hooked onto the back of Tony Stewart pushing him all the way to the front straightaway on the last lap. Going through the tri-oval Bobby showed his old buddy Tony a trick that he never taught him. He pulled out by him on a slingshot move. Tony and Bobby weren’t the only ones amazed with that fantastic move. They were happy with each other in victory lane. It seemed like Bobby’s career was on its way up. Bobby was in store for another good surprise.

Read more Bobby Labonte--On The Way Up ...

There are many Nextel Cup rookies. As a rookie you have certain benefits and disadvantages in Cup. You also have responsibilities. Rookies represent NASCAR as much as veterans do. Rookies should be treated equal to veterans, but they are often not. About the only advantage to being a rookie in Cup is that you have the best reflexes and no fear of dangerous moves. You are under a microscope for any wild moves and attitude problems while driving. You receive poor treatment from experienced drivers and older fans. No fan wants their veteran driver taken out by a rookie. No driver wants taken out by a rookie as well. One rough move by a rookie and they get more than just ‘the book’ thrown at them. Rookies have a hard time doing well enough in the beginning to keep their own ride. Many have to go back a few steps before getting and keeping a full-time Cup ride. Rookies may have problems off the track more than on the track. Constantly dealing with a mob of fans for the first time can be almost too much for a rookie. They may not know how to act in front of fans and officials the best way. Substance abuse has plagued a few rookies who are at that age.

Some of NASCAR’s top rookies are experiencing some problems that occur naturally at this career stage. The first rookie experience I had was at Richmond in the fall of 1999. My family and I won a raffle drawing to get free tickets to the sold-out race. The Exide NASCAR Select Batteries 400 at RIR on September 11, 1999, was a magnificent battle between Tony Stewart and Bobby Labonte. Stewart, who was a hot young rookie for Joe Gibbs Racing, was winless up until this event. He held off Bobby Labonte to win the race at about 11:00 P.M. My family and I were going to leave to go home but I got them to stay till about 1:30 A.M. At about 1:15 A.M. Stewart came out of the press box in Turn 1. I was with a group of Stewart fans trying to get his autograph. He took a drink of a bottle of Coke, autographed it, and threw it way over across the parking lot so he could make a break for the police car that was waiting for him. I caught on and ran over to try to get his autograph as he was getting in the car. He ignored me and every other fan and got into the car. When the door closed it trapped a few Sharpies and pictures inside as they drove off. They didn’t even return the fans’ stuff. That to me was a rookie ‘Don’t’.

Tony Stewart had a few more problems getting along with veterans and fans. At Watkins Glen in 2000 qualifying was rained out. That meant that Bobby Labonte was to start from the pole. Stewart and Jeff Gordon had to start side-by-side. On the first lap Stewart hit Gordon into the wall up through the S’s. It caused Gordon to lose the race. That meant it was the first time since 1996 that Gordon had not won a road course race in Cup. After the race Stewart and Gordon had a heated argument about the incident. It was a huge news spectacle. Stewart had had a few altercations with fans by 2001. He had supposedly made verbal threats to fans after bad races. At Bristol in the spring of 2001 he was the car to beat. He was running about third with one lap to go. Gordon spun him out on the last lap. He retaliated by spinning Gordon out on pit road. Those were rookie ‘Don’ts’ as well.

Read more Rookie Do’s and Don’ts ...

A few years ago there was a great driver known as Bobby Labonte. He was almost as famous as Jeff Gordon. He was in the top five every week. He was always contending for the win.

He had an incredible car that could always win with little changes or effort in the race. His pit crew was the National Pit Crew champions at the time. His car owner was second to Hendrick in many ways.

He had a stunning rookie teammate that could make obstacles and women fall over for two different reasons.

Labonte was at the so-called ‘high point’ of his career. He was winning at least five races a year. He was second in the points in 1999 and was going to win the championship in 2000. He stunned the crowd of fans at Atlanta Motor Speedway by barely losing to Dale Earnhardt in a photo finish. Many Earnhardt fans were continually stunned as he kept the point lead over Dale, all year long.

Labonte won his most impressive race that season at The Brickyard. By the time there were a few races to go he had four impressive wins and over 300 points on Earnhardt. He wrapped up the Championship in style at Homestead. He was a legendary veteran driver with nine wins in two seasons. It looked fantastic going in to the 2001 season. Everyone thought he would be a force to reckon with for many years to come.

Read more I live for the good moments ...

Anyone who has been following racing for any length of time remembers the informative and fun racing news show on ESPN called ‘RPM2nite’. This is how many race fans became familiar with the friendly and knowledgeable John Kernan, the host of the program.

I enjoyed asking John Kernan these questions and hearing his replies, and I am sure the cawsnjaws.com readers will, too.

I understand you grew up in Irondale, MO. Is it famous for anything?

I don’t think it’s famous for anything. Only 300 or so people live there. It’s very, very small.

Who lived in your house when you were growing up? Who did you get along with the best?

My two older brothers and, of course, my Mom and Dad. Both of my brothers were at least five years older than me, so we didn’t hang out together.

Did you have a favorite toy or hobby when you were little?

I loved anything to do with airplanes and speed. One of my favorite toys was a little electric plane that you flew around in circles. I also had a mini-bike and would build jumps to get major air. I had a Go-Kart too, but it didn’t work too well running around the field next to my house, it was made for pavement and there really wasn’t anywhere for me to run it, so we sold it.

What did you like to wear to school when you were in high school? This wasn’t when you started liking colorful ties was it?

I pretty much stuck to blue jeans and flannel shirts, although in high school I did sport a leisure suit or two.

Did the girls think you were a hottie?

NO! I had big thick black plastic glasses and long Elvis type sideburns. I was never accused of being a hottie.

Did you have a car when you were in high school, and if you did what was it?

My first car was a ‘69 Ford Torino. I blew up the engine in it while trying to find more speed for a drag race. It threw one of the rods right through the crank case. So, a friend and I went to the junk yard and bought another old engine and put it into the car and amazingly, with no directions, got it to run again.

What turned you on to racing? Did you have family members or friends who enjoyed it?

My Dad took me to the local dirt track a few times when I was very young. You could sit outside the house at night and hear the cars on Friday nights. Then I started racing moto-cross when I was in high school.

I understand your first job as a pit reporter was at North Wilkesboro Speedway. There are a lot of fans who would like to see that track raced on again. Do you agree?

I loved the North Wilkesboro Speedway! I would love to see some kind of racing there again.

What is your favorite track to watch a race at?

Believe it or not, I’ve never watched a NASCAR race from the grandstand, I’ve seen them from either pit road or on top of the press box. I think I’ll always hold a special spot in my heart for Martinsville because that’s where I saw my first cup race way back in 1983.

Read more Fishing for answers from John Kernan ...

I am a NASCAR trading card fanatic, and once I pulled a Kenny Wallace 2003 Wheels American Thunder Cool Threads Race-Used Fire Retardant Shirt card. For people who do not collect these kinds of cards, a small piece of the shirt (or sometimes a piece of sheet metal, lug nut, race flag, ball cap, or other racing item) is embedded in the card, making it a real collector item. I was really happy to get something that a favorite driver of mine once wore inside of a trading card that I could save in a binder. In the year 2004, during the month of May, the last Busch race at Nazareth Speedway was held. Even though it really was not summer yet, the day was very hot and humid. I got to spend a few minutes with Kenny Wallace, who was dressed in his firesuit and ready to race. He was very nice to all of the fans who surrounded him. When he spoke to me he gave me lots of eye contact and made me laugh. Even though his firesuit was wet with sweat, he did not seem to be bothered by the heat. It made me think about the trading card I had at home with a piece of his shirt in it, and I knew I would always think about that moment when I looked at the card. Since 2004 Kenny Wallace has become a busier driver and racing announcer than ever. This year he has a full-time Busch ride, a part-time Busch ride, and also races on the dirt with his own car and team. NASCAR fans love his racing announcing and interviews, and he will also be having a talk show broadcasted from his home state of Missouri once a week. He is going to be very busy. I was very lucky to be able to ask Kenny Wallace the following questions. I am glad that he was able to spend some time with me. _JAW: When you were in high school what posters did you have on your bedroom walls?_ Kenny: A poster of Farrah Fawcett in a bikini and an Easy Rider poster of Peter Fonda on a Motorcycle. _JAW: Did you have a good high school friend that you wish you could see again?_ Kenny: Yes, he is dead. He took the wrong road in life.

Read more Rapid replies by a popular NASCAR personality: Kenny Wallace ...

_Recently I was able to spend some time with a man who has been involved in the world of racing in many ways. Erik Arneson, Director of Media Relations at SPEED, has done everything from motorsports reporting to authoring books about famous drag racers. I learned a lot from talking with him, and I am sure that anyone reading his replies from this interview will find them as interesting as I did._ !http://www.cawsnjaws.com/images/43.jpg! _JAW: I understand you were born in Takoma Park, MD. Is this area famous for anything? Now that you are living in NC, do you cheer for the Ravens or the Panthers, or another team; or aren't you into football?_ Erik: Although the hospital was in Takoma Park, near Washington DC, I grew up on the Severn River near Annapolis, Md � an area rich in history, great seafood and beautiful waterways. In fact, as a kid, I thought more about my first boat than my first car. When it comes to football, believe it or not, I am a lifelong Miami Dolphins fan. My father took me to a Baltimore Colts game in 1972 and they were playing the Dolphins. Miami had a great team that year � started collecting their football cards and have been a fan ever since. I do, however, cheer for the Panthers and my son, Jaret, is a huge Jake Delhomme fan.

Read more Constant Motion and Constantly Motivated: Erik Arneson, Director of Media Relations at SPEED ...

I recently had the opportunity to talk with Dave Despain, host of the SPEED Channel’s shows ‘Wind Tunnel’ and ‘Inside Nextel Cup’.

I was honored to be able to speak to someone so well known in the racing world, who knows so much about so many kinds of racing.

It was a very nice conversation with an interesting man, and I am happy to share his answers with you.

JAW: I understand that you grew up in Iowa. Did you enjoy living there, or did you wish you lived somewhere else, like near a beach?

Dave: I thought it was OK at the time. When I grew up I found out there are lots of exciting place in the world, but I am proud of being from Iowa.

JAW: Who lived at home with you when you were growing up?

Dave: My parents, two sisters, and grandfather lived there.

JAW: Did you do stuff with your Dad when you were a kid?

Dave: My Dad and Mother both worked a lot, so they weren’t home a lot of the time.

JAW: What was your Mother like with you when she was mad at you?

Dave: She would speak firmly to me, and make clear that what I was doing wasn’t right.

JAW: What kind of food did your Mom make for you that you hated?

Dave: Pork chops. The rest of the family thought of them as a treat, but I didn’t think so.

JAW: When you eat dinner now, what beverage do you usually drink with it?

Dave: A Margarita, or wine. It depends on what is for dinner.

Read more Talking broken bones, forgetful guests, and pot bellied pigs with Dave Despain ...

When I first started watching racing I thought that it would be tough to get a friend in NASCAR.

But that wasn’t true once I met Sue Scott. She puts a racing newsletter on the internet called, “Sue’s Racin’ News ‘n Views”. It is filled up with NASCAR news and links.

When I was feeling down and ready to quit, Sue was nice to me in a way I can’t explain.

She got me a personal contact with Jerry Nadeau. He sent me an autographed birthday greeting that is framed, and on our NASCAR wall in our family room.

She also is a great reporter, and she battles a disease every day.

She lists her views and shares her comedy which must be read at her internet site http://www.racinnews.com. 10,000 people read it. Actually if you to Sue’s site you will be making her happy enough to keep her alive longer.

She definitely deserves it. She should not have to worry at all. If you show her you are interested in what she does it will mean a lot and that means a lot to me.

She needs some money to help her keep her newsletter going. I would like anyone reading my interview to pledge $1 to her. She says that’s OK, and people can pay the dollar if they think her newsletter is worth it.

She is one of the dearest people I know. Her sense of humor is so good.

But remember she is very sick, so pray for her. I know I do.

Thanks, Sue, for taking your time to do this. I hope you enjoy this.

Love,
‘JAW’
Joshua Walker

…………………………………………………………………………….

Are you a great bidder since you were born in Bidderford, Maine?

HeHeHe! No, I am proud to say I am an official Maniac (MAINEiac)!

I know you only lived there till you were four, but do you remember if you froze while living there? My Aunt Peggy lived in S. Portland for a while, and she said they sell snowshoes in the stores.

I lived in Portland and I remember very well opening the front door and the snow was higher than I stood! We spent many days tobogganing as a family.

After Maine, you lived and grew up in River Vale, New Jersey. Is New Jersey as bad as people say that it is?

NO! Sure if you drive down the NJ Turnpike it doesn’t look all that great but it is a great state to live and grow up in. I lived in the Northern part right next to NY State and close to NY City. You could see the NY Skyline from the top of our hill. We spent days up in the Mountains (Harriman) we would bike ride to Bear Mountain and a lot of our summer days were spent on the Jersey Shore. Bruce Springteen, Southside Johnny and the Chatterbox at Seaside Heights carry some of my fondest memories. My brother and I enjoyed a Norman Rockwell type life!

Is River Vale a giant veil with a river on it? Seriously, do you know why it was named that?

I honestly do not know where the name came from. I do know all the streets in my development were of Irish decent. I lived on the corner of Wicklow Way and Cobh Road.

I would like to ask you something about being adopted. Do you think you love your parents as much as a child who was not adopted?

YES! Sometimes I think it is even more of a LOVE. Because an adopted child is a “Chosen Child”. I grew up with these words on my bedroom wall:

Adoption Creed
Not Flesh of my Flesh
Not Bone of my Bone
Miraculously my own…
Never forget
For a single minute
You didn’t grow under my heart…
You grew IN it.

Now I am blessed to have Megan, she was adopted at birth and those same beautiful words now hang in her room J!

Do you think you had a good childhood?

It couldn’t have been better! My only regret is I wasn’t a better kid. I was rebellious and very troublesome, but my parents NEVER gave up on me!

Did your parents make you eat vegetables you didn’t like? What were they? Do you still not like them?

Yes, those meanies! Now I love most all veggies, I am not big on Okra and I can’t eat spinach!

How did you do in school as a child? Did you like it?

I did “okay”, but as I said I was very rebellious. My main concern was fun not grades. Looking back it really gets me mad at myself. I know I could have been a great Dr. but I did not know that when I was younger. I loved school, I had a lot of friends and we had to much fun. I wish I had less fun and better grades.

Were you ever bullied? Were the kids ever mean?

Sadly, I was one of the bullies. I did something’s I regret deeply.

You have told me that you attended a lot of sports events with your Dad, like baseball, football, and racing. When you were a teenager, did it embarrass you to do stuff with your Dad?

Oh not at all! I was so proud of my Dad. He was and always will be my biggest hero. At times Dad would let a friend or 2 tag along with us, but my fondest memories were just Dad and I. I remember coming back from Shea Stadium and our car overheated ON The George Washington Bridge. I was so scared but Dad handled it and we were soon on our way home. He was a great, great man. I miss him terribly.

Read more If you want to meet an angel here is your chance--Sue Scott of Sue's Racin' News 'n Views ...

Artie Kempner, Coordinating Director of NASCAR on Fox, and Pam Miller, Pit Producer

When we all turn on the television and turn up the volume, we notice that the Fox NASCAR broadcasts are terrific productions.

The whole broadcast is at the standards that we want.

This incredible sport is being enhanced by many great people, obviously!

The wrecks are shown just the way we want. The commercials are being cut short. The shots of the racing are really good.

We think, “Who could be behind this amazing work of achievement and pleasure?”

There are a lot of amazing people, and I’ve become quite a good friend of one of them, Artie Kempner. Artie is the Coordinating Director of NASCAR on Fox, and directs all the Nextel Cup Broadcasts, as well as many of the Busch races.

If you really believe that he would have some good things to say due to the amazing Fox broadcasts, then you should read this interview. I put Artie on the hot seat by asking some very interesting questions, some personal, some professional. I think you’ll enjoy my interview with him.

His answers are as inspiring as the great coverage you watch every week, directed personally by him with the help of his great Fox team.

His answers really let you know a lot about what goes on behind the scenes at a NASCAR race. This is an inspiring interview by a good personality in the world of NASCAR, Artie Kempner.

JAW
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You have told me that you grew up in Merric, New York. Is it famous for something?

Merrick’s most famous person would probably be Debbie Gibson. She was a pop teenage singer in the 1980s. Merrick would be infamous as the home of Amy
Fischer, the teenager who was involved with Joey Buttafucco in a terrible tabloid cheating/shooting affair. I don’t personally know Debbie or Amy, though.
I think my Mom knew Amy’s mother.

What did your Dad do for a living?

My Dad was an insurance agent. He retired a couple of years ago, and he and my Mom live in Lake Worth, Florida and play a lot of golf and cards—plus
they watch NASCAR races now!!

Was your house you grew up in ritzy?

I grew up middle class in a nice home, but it was not ritzy. My brother and I shared a room (he is two years younger) until we were both teenagers.

What color was your room?

My room was mostly blue (my favorite color), but I had all kinds of posters, team pennants and other sports stuff all over it.

How was playing sports as a kid?

I lived to play sports as a kid. Our neighborhood had a lot of kids around the same age and we played football, basketball, street hockey, roller hockey,
baseball and even golf. I also played ice hockey a lot.

Did you have brothers that played sports with you?

My brother bobby and I played a lot together, mostly golf and hockey. He was usually the goalie. I think I sent him to the emergency room four times for
stitches by hitting him in the mask with a shot. My Mom learned to handle blood pretty well!!

You mentioned you played lacrosse. Is it as dangerous as they say it is?

Lacrosse is a terrific game. Yes it is played with sticks, but no, it is not dangerous. It can be physical because they allow checking, but it is a lot
of fun. The sport is very big on Long Island, where Merrick is located.

What was your favorite subject in school?

I loved history, and still do. And also simple math, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division.

Your least favorite?

Hard math like calculus. I took it in high school and college and still haven’t figured it out. I should probably ask Matt Borland and Ryan Newman for
some pointers. As engineers they would really understand it!

You said that as a family you attended some races when you were young. Where is Freeport Speedway?

Freeport is the next town over from Merrick. It was a 1/4 mile dirt track I think, and they raced modifieds and did some demolition derbys as well.

Is it still there?

They tore it down when I was in jr. high and built some stores.

How long did it take for you to learn how to drive?

It didn’t take me long to drive, but I must admit I failed my first road test!!

What was your first car?

1969 cutlass supreme with a 455 hp engine. It had been my Mom’s and when she got a new car I lucked into getting it. Only problem was that it only had a
two barrel carb, so it didn’t have the speed that a teenager really wants (thank goodness for that!!)

Did you do any of those rebellious bad things in college in the 70s?

If you call shaving your head with your teammates rebellious, then that would be about it. I enjoyed life in college, but never did any drugs, never ever
smoked (sorry RJ Reynolds), and didn’t drink too much, too often. One thing I am proud to say is that I have never driven after drinking!!

Read more Why Fox Rocks! An Interview with Artie Kempner by JAW ...