[WestCoastGal]

The SPRINT CUP BANQUET
New York City
December 5, 2008

DATES of each series Award Banquet

Friday, 12/5/2008: Sprint Cup - New York City

Saturday, 11/22/2008: Nationwide Series - Orlando, Fla

Monday, 11/17/2008: Truck Series - Hollywood, Fla

Television Coverage

12/5/2008: Sprint Cup Awards Banquet on ESPN Classic 9:00-12:00pm/et
12/8/2008: Sprint Cup Awards Banquet re-air 2:00 - 4:00pm/et on ESPN2

11/30/2008: Nationwide Series Awards, 12:00 - 1:00pm/et on ESPN2

12/8/2008: Truck Series - 9:00 pm on SPEED

INFO LINK: NASCAR.com - championship week page

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News/Events - newest at the top

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• NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champions Week in New York City will be held this year December 2-6, 2008 with many FREE events throughout New York City:
  
  ---Join the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion and Tissot when they officially start the festivities atop the Hard Rock Café Marquee in Times Square on Wednesday, December 3rd at 10:30 a.m. Events include:
  
  Aflac Pit Stop Tour: Brings the sights and sounds of Pit Road to the streets of New York City. Official partner show cars will be stationed throughout Manhattan at key commuter and tourist destinations and Official Partner retail locations. (Dec. 2nd - 6th)
  Overview:
  • Official Partner show cars are stationed at five(5) high traffic locations throughout Manhattan
  • Brand Ambassadors distribute premium items and Partner message points to thousands of fans over a 5-day period: Dec. 2nd – Dec. 6th
  • Interactive activities and data capture components at each Pit Stop location
  • Aflac Pit Stop Tour “scavenger hunt” originating in Times Square to drive fans to each Pit Stop for a chance to win prizes and VIP experiences
  Locations:
  • Hard Rock Café: 7th Ave. and 43rd
  • Madison Square Garden/Penn Station: 7th Ave. and 31st
  • SIRIUS XM Radio Headquarters: 6th Ave. btw 48th & 49th
  • Tourneau Atrium: Indoor space - Madison Ave. & 56th
  • M&M’s World: Broadway and 46th
  
  Aflac Fan Fest: The ultimate 3-day free NASCAR fan experience takes over the Hard Rock Café in Times Square. Event features continuous stage programming, Sirius Satellite Radio live remote, NASCAR driver appearances, non-stop activities, contests, and prizes. (Dec. 4th – 6th)
  • Second-annual indoor fan event at the Hard Rock Café
  • 7th Avenue and 43rd Street – Times Square
  • December 4th – 6th from 12:00pm – 8:00pm*
  • Features interactive games, prizes, continual stage programming and more!
  • NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver appearances
  • Pit Crew “chalk talks”
  • SIRIUS XM Radio hosting live remotes
  Special Thursday night (9p.m. - 11p.m.) concert featuring Gavin DeGraw - Tickets are free and will be distributed through Z100 radio, and all day at the Aflac Fan Fest.
  
  NASCAR Tailgate City driven by Ford: A NASCAR “Block Party” in the heart of Times Square. Featuring Ford and Partner branded at-track experiences, continuous live music from the Ford Sound Stage, tailgate food, drinks and games! (Dec. 4th)
  • NASCAR block party on 43rd street in Times Square between 7th and 8th Ave
  • December 4th from 10:00am – 6:00pm
  • Features:
  • Ford Sound Stage with continuous music and entertainment
  • Special presentations in support of Buckle Up America
  • NASCAR Street Tour
  • Food and drink served with a tailgating flare
  • We are planning on having NASCAR drivers attend
  • Race simulators, show cars, obstacle courses, tailgating games, and more!
  • NASCAR Street Tour: Two tricked-out NASCAR themed Ford vehicles tour Manhattan and the Tri-State area prior to and throughout Champions Week inviting fans to join the festivities. (Nov. 30th - Dec. 6th)
  
  

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• No Parade in NYC in 2008: For the last four years, NASCAR has staged a “victory lap” in the middle of Manhattan a couple of days prior to its Cup awards banquet. It was an incredible sight for some – fans lined the sidewalks to see the top 10 Cup drivers wheel their cars on the streets around and about the Times Square area. “After several years, it’s a wrap,” NASCAR Vice President Jim Hunter said Friday. “I think we needed something new. We’re doing some things, some additional promotions that we partnered up with Sprint. There’s going to be billboards, additional signage, fan participation and those kind of things. It’s going to be good.” The parade of stock cars took an incredible amount of planning and cost, and NASCAR and Sprint are looking at other ways to engage fans during its championship week. Plans are still being finalized. “There’s no way you could realize the work that our people put in to doing a parade in New York,” Hunter said. “When you think of normal traffic in New York, there’s nothing normal about it. We’ll do some other things.”
  The Sprint Cup banquet this year is scheduled for Dec. 5, and both NASCAR and Sprint officials said the absence of the lap around the city won’t mean NASCAR won’t have a New York presence during that week. “We are committed to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week and will continue to ensure it will be a highlight on the calendar,” said Steve Gaffney, director of sports and entertainment marketing for Sprint. “In conjunction with NASCAR, we are always looking for ways to improve activities and keep them fresh for the fans. We hope to have some final decisions in the near future.”
  Hunter also reiterated that this was not a sign that NASCAR wasn’t committed to staging its end-of-year celebration in the nation’s biggest city. “Our fans responded very well [to the victory lap],” Hunter said. “The crowd grew over the years. More and more people were aware of when we were in New York as a result of the parade. ... These new programs and having Sprint partnered up with us will make a big difference. What we’re trying to do is grow the base in New York. It’s a fitting end to the season, that time of year in New York.”(SceneDaily)(9-14-2008)
  
  

[WestCoastGal]

If you could find your ping list I would appreciate it.

I’ve even lost that. :)

[B Knotts]

I was hoping someone would post one of these.

I’ve already read everying on Jayski. :-)

[wastedyears]

http://www.daytonausa.com/

Also a great video game.

[Kirkwood]

Boogity! Boogity! Boogity!

[mrmargaritaville]

ALAN KULWICKI!

[McGruff]

Is it February yet? :(

[NavVet]

Don’t worry the off season is only four days.

[jgbmo]

Thanks to a very generous sister and brother-in-law, I was fortunate enough to participate in "The NASCAR Experience" at the Richmond, Virginia Speedway. I drove 50 laps in Danny Hamlin's Nextel cup car. It was amazing! I highly recommend it! And I must say that it gave me newfound respect for the professional drivers. After 50 laps in a car with the rev limiter set to just below 6000 RPM, I was exhausted--both mentally and physically. The pros drive at a much higher speed, with lots of pushing and shoving from cars just inches (or less!) away. They earn their pay! For info on the outfit I drove with, check out TheRacingSchool.com

[Pete-R-Bilt]

Nice job.

Thank you sweetie...

[vox_freedom]

Thanks for the thread, WCG.

[flutters]

Thanks WCG!!!!

[tacticalogic]

D minus 76 days, and counting.

[SeaHawkFan]

I’m not a NASCAR fan, but I am wondering how the Big Three financial woes are going to affect NASCAR? Thought I heard today that Honda was withdrawing for Indy car racing.

[Wneighbor]

Hi all, I just thought to look here for NASCAR talk. I am in withdrawals. LOL Keep checking NASCAR.com and Jayski almost every day and not getting my fix. Hope all is well with you all.

[Peter W. Kessler]

One of my best friends got tickets to the Hard Rock event. There were fewer than 100 people there.

He asked Tony Stewart about the 2009 “Prelude to the Dream.” Tony’s face lit up and he said that, as long as NASCAR drivers supported the event (by showing up and driving), he would host it.

This year, our race fan crew will be attending both the Prelude and “The Dream” at Eldora. On the “off day” (Thursday), we’ll revisit the Air Force Museum at Wright Patterson AFB. That, alone, is worth the trip.

If you’ve never been to Tony Stewart’s Playground in Rossburg, Ohio, you ought to go. Imagine a perfectly groomed 1/2-mile dirt track with seating for 23,000 race fans in the middle of absolutely nowhere. And there isn’t a bad seat in the whole place.

We’ll be easy to spot: We’ll all be wearing our “Victory Speedway” shirts.

See you there!!!

[OrioleFan]

Got my Dover tickets yesterday.

[cld51860]

WAY TO GO JIMMIE!! WOOO HOOO!!