Category Archives: Racing

Feb 25 2013

The Twitter “Day After” Daytona

Another NASCAR race. Another NASCAR win for Jimmie Johnson. 

With skill, strategy and always, a little bit of luck (no accidents), Jimmie Johnson, one of the most popular drivers around, won the 2013 Daytona 500 for the second time. While many eyes had been on Danica Patrick throughout the race, Johnson came through at the end to win it. 

Last Friday, I put together the Daytona start list with every driver’s Twitter handle (if applicable) and their follower numbers. Today, let’s see what the race did, if anything to those numbers. Warning: math was not my best subject. Reminder: All Twitter handles are verified, unless otherwise noted.

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Start position/Driver name/Car #/ Twitter handle/Follower numbers

1. Danica Patrick #10 - @DanicaPatrick - 721,969 followers (Friday); 749,281 (today) +7,312

2. Jeff Gordon #24 - @JeffGordonWeb - 361,348 followers (Friday); 366,642 (today) +5,294

3. Kevin Harvick #29 - @KevinHarvick - 281,937 followers (Friday); 285,812 (today) +3,875

4. Kyle Busch #18 - @KyleBusch - 310,621 followers (Friday); 313,775 (today) +3,164

5. Greg Biffle #16 - @gbiffle - 112,472 followers (Friday); 114,406 (today) +1,934

6. Kasey Kahne #5 - @KaseyKahne - 261,516 followers (Friday); 266,292 (today) +4,776

7. Juan Pablo Montoya #42 - @jpmontoya - 700,941 followers (Friday); 703,221 (today) +2,380

8. Austin Dillon #33 - @austindillon3 - 83,990 followers (Friday); 86,811 (today) +2,821

9. Jimmie Johnson #48 - @jimmiejohnson - 373,961 followers (Friday); 382,493 (today) +8,532

10. Clint Bowyer #15 - @ClintBowyer - 121,751 followers (Friday); 126,420 (today) +4,569

11. Kurt Busch #78 - @KurtBusch - 58,060 followers (Friday); 59,554 (today) +2,494

12. Matt Kenseth #20 - @mattkenseth - 134,309 followers (Friday); 136,613 (today) +2,304

13. Tony Stewart #14 - No Official Twitter Account - Team Twitter account is@tonystewart_rcg (unverified)

14. Mark Martin #55 - @55MarkMartin - 135,996 followers (Friday); 139,303 (today) +3307

15. Brad Keselowski #2 - @keselowski - 369,823 followers (Friday); 376,506 (today) +6,683

16. Paul Menard #27 - No Official Twitter Account - Team Twitter account is @RCR27PMenard (unverified)

17. Casey Mears #13 - @CaseyMears13 - 2,087 followers (Friday); 2,207 (today) +120

18. Jeff Burton #31 - @RCR31JeffBurton (not verified) - 68,944 followers (Friday); 70,184 today +1,239

19. Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 - No Official Twitter Account (There is @DaleJr but he is not on Twitter.)

20. Jamie McMurray #1 - @jamiemcmurray - 127,244 followers (Friday); 129,395 (today) +2,151

21. Joey Logano #22 - @joeylogano - 121,696 followers (Friday); 124,358 (today) +2,662

22. David Ragan #34 - @DavidRagan - 52,751 followers (Friday); 53,567 (today) +535

23. Bobby Labonte #47 - @Bobby_Labonte - 75,286 followers (Friday); 76,286 (today) +1000

24. Marcos Ambrose #9 - @MarcosAmbrose - 57,740 followers (Friday); 58,638 (today) +898

25. David Gilliland #38 - @DavidGilliland – 25,939 followers (Friday); 26,328 (today) +389

26. Aric Almirola #43 - @aric_almirola - 46,934 followers (Friday); 47,714 (today) +780

27. Joe Nemechek #87 - @FrontRowJoe87 - 32,252 followers (Friday); 32,837 (today) +585

28. Ricky Stenhouse Jr #17 - @StenhouseJr - 73,884 followers (Friday); 76,359 (today) +2,475

29. Michael Waltrip #26 - @mw55 - 199,147 followers (Friday); 202,439 (today)  +3,292

30. Dave Blaney #7 - No Official Twitter Account

31. Scott Speed#95 - @scottspeed - 46,225 followers (Friday); 46,873 (today)  +648

32. Josh Wise#35 - @Josh_Wise - 19,859 followers (Friday); 20,145 (today) +190

33. Trevor Bayne #21 -  @Tbayne21 - 157,484 followers (Friday); 160,028 (today) +2,544

34. Ryan Newman #39 - @RyanNewman39 - 153,492 followers (Friday); 155,888 (today) +2,396

35. Denny Hamlin #11 - @dennyhamlin – 210,098 followers (Friday); 213,308 (today) +3,290

36. Carl Edwards #99 - No Official Twitter Account – Team Twitter account @99_RFRracing(unverified) 

37. Martin Truex Jr. #56 - @MartinTruexJr56 - 130,782 followers (Friday); 132,869 (today) +2,087

38. Michael McDowell #98 - @Mc_Driver - 38,063 followers (Friday); 39,032 (today) +969

39. Terry Labonte #32 - No Official Twitter Account

40. Regan Smith #51 - @ReganSmith – 56,441 followers (Friday); 58,616 (today) +2,175

41. JJ Yeley #36 – @jjyeley1 - 33,054 followers (Friday); 33,794 (today) +740

42. David Reutimann #83 – @DavidReutimann – 32,460 followers (Friday); 32,738 (today) +278

43. Travis Kvapil #93 - @TravisKvapil – 32,575 followers (Friday); 33,044 (today) +469

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What do these increases mean? First, and most obvious, is that NASCAR has a presence. The fact that every driver increased their follower numbers (no matter how little it may have been) is a positive sign of NASCAR’s presence on Twitter. Second, winning and name recognition are everything. The top three drivers with follower increases were: Jimmie Johnson, Danica Patrick and Brad Keselowski. All three drivers finished in the top 10 and all are “name” drivers. 

People will follow winners and “names”. Regan Smith, for example, started in the 40th spot. He finished 7th. He gained over 2000 followers. Is that simply because of his Daytona race? Hard to say. He did finish in the top 15 in the Nationwide race on Saturday at Daytona. The combination of the two finishes could have drawn attention to him and people followed accordingly. 

It’s an imperfect science at this point. Fans will follow who they want to follow for various reasons. Follower numbers don’t mean what many think it means. Large numbers don’t mean anything if the person is not “engaged” with those followers. When I say engaged, I don’t mean just tweeting out a contest and “thanks” to sponsors. I mean actual conversation. That parameter is far more difficult to evaluate. 

Brands, on the other hand, will be paying attention to these numbers. Does a driver have any effect on a sponsor’s recognition on Twitter and vice-versa? Carl Edwards is not on Twitter so the Subway commercials he does, have no effect on his recognition on Twitter. When an Edwards’ Subway commercial airs during the race, does that increase Subway follower numbers each time it airs? Does having a name connected to your brand do anything for them on the “social” meter? That might be something for brands to delve deeper into. That’s for brands, PR and marketing people to evaluate, not me. 

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CadChica Sports

Feb 22 2013

Twitter Guide To The 2013 Daytona 500

NASCAR begins in earnest this weekend with its premier event of the year, the Daytona 500. Yes, there has already been one race and there is the Chase at the end of the year but Daytona is NASCAR’s Super Bowl. 

Now it’s been awhile since I’ve done a list like this. Having done my first one in 2011, it seems now in 2013 “everyone” is tracking Twitter followers so I’ve shied away from these lists. But, with Danica Patrick having won the pole this year and Brad Keselowski becoming a social media star after last year’s race, there is a heightened interest in 2013. 

Here is the start list for the 2013 Daytona 500. All Twitter handles are verified, unless otherwise noted and all information is as of Friday, February 22nd at 11:30am PT. Enjoy the race! 

Start position/Driver name/Car #/ Twitter handle/Follower numbers

1. Danica Patrick #10 - @DanicaPatrick - 721,969 followers

2. Jeff Gordon #24 - @JeffGordonWeb - 361,348 followers

3. Kevin Harvick #29 - @KevinHarvick - 281,937 followers

4. Kyle Busch #18 - @KyleBusch - 310,621 followers

5. Greg Biffle #16 - @gbiffle - 112,472 followers

6. Kasey Kahne #5 - @KaseyKahne - 261,516 followers

7. Juan Pablo Montoya #42 - @jpmontoya - 700,941 followers

8. Austin Dillon #33 - @austindillon3 - 83,990 followers

9. Jimmie Johnson #48 - @jimmiejohnson - 373,961 followers

10. Clint Bowyer #15 - @ClintBowyer - 121,751 followers

11. Kurt Busch #78 - @KurtBusch - 58,060 followers

12. Matt Kenseth #20 - @mattkenseth - 134,309 followers

13. Tony Stewart #14 - No Official Twitter Account - Team Twitter account is @tonystewart_rcg (unverified)

14. Mark Martin #55 - @55MarkMartin - 135,996 followers

15. Brad Keselowski #2 - @keselowski - 369,823 followers

16. Paul Menard #27 - No Official Twitter Account - Team Twitter account is @RCR27PMenard (unverified)

17. Casey Mears #13 - @CaseyMears13 - 2,087 followers

18. Jeff Burton #31 - @RCR31JeffBurton (not verified) - 68,944 followers

19. Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 - No Official Twitter Account (There is @DaleJr but he is not on Twitter.)

20. Jamie McMurray #1 - @jamiemcmurray - 127,244 followers

21. Joey Logano #22 - @joeylogano - 121,696 followers

22. David Ragan #34 - @DavidRagan - 52,751 followers

23. Bobby Labonte #47 - @Bobby_Labonte - 75,286 followers

24. Marcos Ambrose #9 - @MarcosAmbrose - 57,740 followers

25. David Gilliland #38 - @DavidGilliland – 25,939 followers

26. Aric Almirola #43 - @aric_almirola - 46,934 followers

27. Joe Nemechek #87 - @FrontRowJoe87 - 32,252 followers

28. Ricky Stenhouse Jr #17 - @StenhouseJr - 73,884 followers

29. Michael Waltrip #26 - @mw55 - 199,147 followers

30. Dave Blaney #7 - No Official Twitter Account

31. Scott Speed#95 - @scottspeed - 46,225 followers

32. Josh Wise#35 - @Josh_Wise - 19,859 followers

33. Trevor Bayne #21 -  @Tbayne21 - 157,484 followers

34. Ryan Newman #39 - @RyanNewman39 - 153,492 followers

35. Denny Hamlin #11 - @dennyhamlin – 210,098 followers

36. Carl Edwards #99 - No Official Twitter Account – Team Twitter account @99_RFRracing (unverified) 

37. Martin Truex Jr. #56 - @MartinTruexJr56 - 130,782 followers

38. Michael McDowell #98 - @Mc_Driver - 38,063 followers

39. Terry Labonte #32 - No Official Twitter Account

40. Regan Smith #51 - @ReganSmith – 56,441 followers

41. JJ Yeley #36 – @jjyeley1 - 33,054 followers

42. David Reutimann #83 – @DavidReutimann – 32,460 followers

43. Travis Kvapil #93 - @TravisKvapil – 32,575 followers

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CadChica Sports

Feb 17 2013

Pink Shirts Are Offensive

In today’s edition of what does one have to do with the other:

Controversial tweet? Yes. Bitterness shines through from Scheckter with that tweet toward Danica Patrick (also see this tweet). But he knew it would generate a reaction before he ever hit “enter”. As his own Twitter bio says, “indycar driver and wind some people up“. He received replies – a tweet like that doesn’t go unnoticed. But there was one reply that seemed to be pretty harmless at first. And then Scheckter took it….well, read for yourself:

Twitter BrandonJ49 tomasscheckter oh ok guess ...

And the significance of the “pink shirt” would be what Mr. Scheckter?

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CadChica Sports

Jun 16 2012

This Night Wasn’t A Drag

DILEMMA:  A Friday night in June. No football. No soccer. Mariners baseball? No thanks. What to do?

SOLUTION: Drag racing.

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The sports fan that I am has limitations. No every sport fits on my enjoyment meter. Cricket? While entertaining to millions around the world, not quite my cup of tea. NBA? You gasp! The NBA & I parted ways a long time ago. Something about some guy named Jordan disillusioned me with a game I loved. But that’s a story for another day. 

Then there’s racing. 

NASCAR. Indy. 

Meh. Take it or leave it…usually leave it for me. 

But along came Friday night. 

Two offerings on the night out at the Raceway Park: ovals & street/drag racing. Being the “journalist” that I am, I took in both events.

One, however, may have just created a new fan.

See if you can guess which one in this slide show:

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Admittedly, it was loud. A bit pedestrian at times with several slow cars; one car topped out at 154 mph. To be expected, however, with the night focused on high-school street car racing. A Ford Focus revved its way up to 75+ MPH.  Be still my heart. But it was driven by a young teenage gal so can’t insult the effort. Pink cars, big trucks, beat-up old cars, motorcycles, lots of Camaros and Mustangs, and then a few dragsters (which, while cool to look at, didn’t live up to MY standards).

Everyone’s favorite of the night though, was this little orange thing: 

The saying good things come in small packages? The little orange racer had it. Every race I saw, it blew away the competition. It didn’t look like much but that’s what made it special. “Whoa!” “Cool!” “WTH!” rustled through the crowd. 

Part of the charm of sports is the unexpected. On looks alone, the crowd paid attention but inside each probably expected a loss.

On the outside, it didn’t look like a winner. But in sports and in life, it’s what is on the inside that counts. And in this little electric car’s inside, it had some giddy-up.

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 A fan for life? Not yet. 

Enticement is the name of the game for me. Entice me. 

Maybe they will with this: 

Now if only I could hitch a ride….

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CadChica Sports

Feb 29 2012

Sexy. Confident. Talented.

Sexy. Confident. Talented.

Thank you, thank you everyone but I’m not talking about me………..this time. [Yes, that's a joke.]

This time, it’s Danica Patrick.

Wait! Don’t leave. Hear me out.

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I will be the first to admit. I am not a NASCAR or racing fan. Watching cars “go round in circles” is not my idea of entertainment.

NASCAR is popular. I get it. Some like NASCAR, I like soccer. It’s cool.

But there’s a story in NASCAR this year that has many people talking about the sport: Danica Patrick.

Patrick begins her first full year in NASCAR this year. Prior to this she had raced in the Indy Circuit. Correct me if I’m wrong but I think she won exactly one race. Yet, she made a name for herself off the track even before she won a race. Oh, and she made $$$ too…..lots of it. Why?

Because, she is the aforementioned ‘sexy, confident & talented’. All of those qualities in a sport dominated by men. In the business world of advertising, why wouldn’t a company latch on to a woman like that? It’s good business.

But as much positive exposure she received through her off-track ventures, an equal resistance emerged among media and sports fans. The prevailing sentiment in the sea of negativity? She hasn’t won a race and yet she’s reaping the benefits as if she had. Fair enough……or is it?

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A sampling of some tweets from this past weekend:

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Alright some of those are fake Twitter accounts but those tweets were re-tweeted quite a bit. Why? Aside from being funny, they reflect the feelings of many that she’s been given a free pass, perhaps. She possibly has not “paid her dues”. Ask ten different people what they think of Danica and you’ll get ten different answers.

But then comes word of this story:

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Ross Shimabuku was suspended for a sexist remark about Danica Patrick. 

In researching for this post, I came across this take-down of Mr. Shimabuku that is entertaining to say the least. It includes the apology by Mr. Shimabuku that leaves much to be desired. 

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MY TAKE: Chicken or the egg? Did the media coverage create the Danica factor or did the Danica factor create the media coverage? Does anyone know the answer to this question? I don’t think so. 

Personally, I could care less. When I first started hearing about Danica, I tended to agree with those who felt she should win something first. But then I look at college kids coming into the pros. Before they’ve played a game in the pros they’re signing multi-million dollar sponsorship deals. They don’t necessarily have to have won anything in college. They just have to be good. And if they’re ‘sexy, confident and talented’, the possibilities might be endless (think Tim Tebow).

Some people think Blake Griffin is sexy. He’s confident. And talented. Yet, he didn’t win anything in college. He became rich not long after turning pro. Hmm, younger than Danica I believe. Look at him now and he’s all over the place in commercials, magazine and internet ads, billboards….ugh! Right? 

My opinion has changed. 

Now, I don’t care. If she wins, great. If she doesn’t, great. Doesn’t matter. If you don’t like hearing about her, don’t tune in to the races she’s in. Don’t click on the GoDaddy website when a new commercial comes out. Don’t follow her on Twitter and definitely don’t RETWEET any tweet that has her name in it. It just fuels the fire that is Danica coverage. 

As for Mr. Shimabaku? Three words for you and it isn’t “I Love You”…..Get. A. Clue.

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CadChica Sports

(aka Sexy. Confident. Talented.)

Yes, I’m kidding. I think.