NASCAR's 2011 Kentucky Stop Will Be Remembered For One Thing: Traffic

When you are talking about a race, it is never a good sign that the first thing that comes to mind is slow moving traffic. That is the exact opposite of what you want people talking about. And while the cars in the race at the Quaker State 400 were free to race at high speeds, it was the people getting there that struggled.

Attendees for the race were stuck in traffic for upwards of six hours. It caused many of them to miss big chunks of the race. And now people involved over the race are falling over themselves trying to apologize.

Track general manager Mark Simendinger released this statement:

To those fans that were not able to attend the Quaker State 400, we offer our sincerest apologies, track. We'd also like to apologize to all of our fans who endured challenging conditions during our event weekend.

Marcus Smith, president and chief operating officer of SMI, had this to say:

I would like to apologize on behalf of Speedway Motorsports to the fans who had tickets, yet due to logistical issues, were not able to attend the inaugural Sprint Cup Series race at Kentucky Speedway. For those fans with tickets who were unable to attend Saturday night's event, we will honor their ticket at any remaining 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at a Speedway Motorsports facility, or the 2012 Sprint Cup race at Kentucky Speedway.

Our company has always been about enhancing the fan experience with first-class amenities and putting fans first. I feel terrible for the fans that had a bad experience at Kentucky Speedway. We are asking that they give us a chance to make it up to them.

We are very thankful for the overwhelming fan support we had for this inaugural event. We learned some valuable lessons this past weekend and will do everything in our power to make sure we don't have these issues again.

Kentucky Senate president David Williams said Kentucky Senate transportation chairman Ernie Harris has agreed to hold the hearing saying:

I sympathize with the angry people who didn't get in; I was one of them. On behalf of those impacted and on behalf of all taxpayers, I am going to focus on analyzing the problem, getting information and finding a solution so Kentucky isn't again embarrassed nationally.

While I do not believe there should be a rush to judgment, I do think the legislature has a responsibility to investigate the public safety issues created by Saturday's debacle and ensure that signature economic development events reflect well on Kentucky.

We felt like this was a situation we wanted to roll out all the stops, and go above and beyond. All the plans we made and all the effort we put forth didn't produce the results we wanted, and we want to try our best to make it right with fans who are understandably frustrated.

It is nice that people are owning up to this travesty, but it should have been seen coming. It was obvious the track was ill prepared for the crowds they knew they were going to receive. And while they are trying to make it up to fans, there is little that can be done to erase the frustration and stress of sitting in traffic for six hours.

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Kyle Busch Earns 99th Career Victory at Inaugural Kentucky Speedway Race

Kyle Busch took the first Sprint Cup race at Kentucky Speedway, but the real story was in the traffic jam that occurred at the new venue.

Kentucky has worked hard to enter the Sprint Cup schedule, so the first race not being an overwhelming success comes as a huge disappointment.

Even so, it's a small hiccup in the grand scheme of things.

You live and you learn, which is exactly what the track needs to do going forward. Expecting to account for everything on the first go around is asking too much. The track will undoubtedly take this year's debacle into account when they prepare for next year.

The track at Kentucky is imperfect, which adds to the charm and appeal of the track. It also adds to the ambiguity of the race, as this sort of track isn't advantageous to anyone.

Regardless of how the first race went on the track, fans in Kentucky should consider the first race an overwhelming success. This is the dawn of what is sure to be a great tradition, at a location that is surrounded by great fans.

Busch managed to used a late restart with three laps to go to pull away from the competition. This track had a lot of intangibles that made it impossible to predict a winner.

As fate would have it, Busch took the checkered and made his way into the winner's circle for the 99th time. He's now on the cusp of reaching his 100th victory, which is likely to happen sooner, rather than later, given the way he is driving.

His first opportunity to advance to triple digit victories will come at London next week. The win at Kentucky points to just how on point the race team is, which has to leave them feeling good about their chances next week.

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--Kyle Vassalo

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Remaining Schedule for All NASCAR Races

The Chase for the Cup is just two months away and the action is beginning to heat up on the track.  NASCAR heads to Kentucky tonight as the racers will compete at the Kentucky Speeedway.

The race will be aired live on TNT at 7:30 PM Eastern Time and will feature Jimmie Johnson attempting to come closer to his sixth consecutive Sprint Cup Series Championship.

Here is the remainder of the NASCAR Schedule courtesy of ESPN:

Sat, Jul 9
7:30 PM ET NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Kentucky
Kentucky Speedway

Sun, Jul 17
1:00 PM ET NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at New Hampshire
New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Sun, Jul 31
1:00 PM ET NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Indianapolis presented by Golden Corral
Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Sun, Aug 7
1:00 PM ET NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Pocono
Pocono Raceway

Sun, Aug 14
1:00 PM ET NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Watkins Glen presented by GoDaddy.com
Watkins Glen International

Sun, Aug 21
1:00 PM ET Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan
Michigan International Speedway

Sat, Aug 27
7:30 PM ET NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Bristol
Bristol Motor Speedway

Sun, Sep 4
7:30 PM ET NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Atlanta
Atlanta Motor Speedway

Sat, Sep 10
7:30 PM ET NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Richmond
Richmond International Raceway

Chase for the Cup

Sun, Sep 18
1:00 PM ET NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Chicago
Chicagoland Speedway

Sun, Sep 25
2:00 PM ET NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at New Hampshire
New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Sun, Oct 2
2:00 PM ET NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Dover
Dover International Speedway

Sun, Oct 9
2:00 PM ET NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Kansas
Kansas Speedway

Sat, Oct 15
7:30 PM ET NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Charlotte
Charlotte Motor Speedway

Sun, Oct 23
2:00 PM ET NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Talladega
Talladega Superspeedway

Sun, Oct 30
2:00 PM ET NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Martinsville
Martinsville Speedway

Sun, Nov 6
3:00 PM ET NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Texas
Texas Motor Speedway

Sun, Nov 13
3:00 PM ET NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Phoenix
Phoenix International Raceway

Sun, Nov 20
3:00 PM ET NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Homestead-Miami
Homestead-Miami Speedway

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Did NASCAR Really Need to Fire Paige Duke?

When I was 19 my friends and I had a strict no photo policy when we were hanging out. It's not that we were afraid we would be having a bad hair day, or that our outfits would make us look fat. We  a result are dudes. We didn't really care.

We had this policy because we were smart enough to realize we were stupid. There was just no need to have photographic evidence of our stupidity. It's not that this kind of thing happened every night, but when it did, it was best to have that only live on in our memories.

Regrettable decisions come on in a flash at 19, and they don't seem so regrettable at the time. Unfortunately for Paige Duke her regrettable decision centered around taking a picture. Paige Duke took nude photos of herself in her dorm room and sent them to her boyfriend. 

Paige Duke likely wasn't thinking that this boyfriend would someday be an ex-boyfriend. Also, when you are as pretty as Paige Duke it is asking a lot of any man for them to keep those photos private. And apparently he didn't.

Duke had this to say about the photos coming to light:

I did not intend for anybody to see these and now I'm exploited

These were pictures I had sent an ex-boyfriend when I was 18.  This is the most embarrassing thing that could have ever happened to me.

We're still investigating how these pictures got out there.  All we know is they came from his computer; he's the only person i sent them to.

He was the only person she sent them to, but for a while they were available to everyone with access to the internet. And it cost her her job.

I lost my job, the best job I could have ever asked for, it was perfect for me.

While the photos were a violation of NASCAR's morality clause, it seems foolish that they would be so strict to that policy that they would have to fire her. Duke meant for these photos to be private, and she sent them long before she was employed by NASCAR.

The controversy that NASCAR may have faced as it rolled into the Kentucky Speedway after having fired Duke is less than the controversy they would have faced with her.

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NASCAR 2011 Sprint Cup Series Head to the Kentucky Speedway and Its Lack of SAFER Barriers

Dale Earnhardt's impact on the sport he dominated is undeniable. It has also branched out to almost all facets of NASCAR racing. Including which tracks NASCAR goes to, and how safe those tracks are. That is why, ten years after the legends death and NASCAR mandated that the walls of tracks were reinforced with SAFER barriers, every track the NASCAR racers visit have walls revamped for walls.

Well, every track but one: the Kentucky Speedway. Tony Stewart spoke to the press about this during a press conference on Thursday:

They don't have enough SAFER barriers yet. Not near enough SAFER barriers for what we're doing here and how close the wall is to the race track. Hopefully, none of us will have to test that out and see anything.

In a world where drivers are conditioned to turn a blind eye to the inherent dangers they face it speaks volumes that Stewart would mention the safety concerns. Stewart wasn't the only racer to mention the lack of SAFER barriers to the press at Thursday's press conference either. Jeff Gordon is also concerned. Gordon:

Jeff Gordon

I was just making a comment after last week's announcement by Richmond -- 'I wonder what other tracks don't have SAFER barriers.' Then I came here and saw the inside wall. Hopefully that is the only time I notice it this weekend.

Hopefully, the lack of SAFER barriers goes unnoticed by everyone during Saturday's event. This is the first race that NASCAR has brought its main series to the Kentucky Speedway, and it is hard to believe that they are doing so without every possible safety precaution was made.

Robin Pemberton, Vice President of Competition for NASCAR, addressed the issue at Thursday's press conference. Pemberton:

As always, we'll evaluate the facility itself, and where SAFER barriers need to go, as we do throughout the year at every racetrack.

Let's just hope an accident doesn't force the reevaluation. I think it should be enough that the drivers are pointing it out.

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Kentucky Makes Long Awaited Debut on Sprint Cup Schedule

The Sprint Cup sees an unfamiliar track for the first time in a decade. The Kentucky Speedway has been added to the schedule and is making for an interesting venue, to say the least.

What was once a mainstay for testing in NASCAR has become the new track on the block.

It's rough around the edges, both on the track and inside the track. The track is bumpy and unrefined, making for an ambiguous race, to say the least.

It's not the track at Kentucky that will likely be what the race is most well known for. The fans at the race are almost certainly going to be the story.

NASCAR has a great following in Kentucky. It should create for a boisterous and lively venue. The great atmosphere will likely make Kentucky a racer favorite amongst the field, as driving in front of fans with that sort of energy has a lot of appeal.

This track embodies everything a track should be. It's unpredictable, electrifying and flat out fun. It's a race a number of racers can make a move in.

The ambiguity in the race and atmosphere in the crowd makes for a race that is appealing for the racers, fans at the track and even the fans at home. It shouldn't take long for Kentucky to establish an identity, should the debut be as resounding as anticipated.

This track is long overdue for a Sprint Cup race. It's good to see the stars finally align, and Kentucky break into the Sprint Cup schedule.

Kentucky has all of the makings to be a mainstay in the series. The track quality could stand to be improved, but that sort of takes away from what makes Kentucky Kentucky. 

As far as personality is concerned, Kentucky is amongst the most flavorful tracks on the schedule. It appears it will be the "Miss Congeniality" of the Sprint Cup.

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--Kyle Vassalo

Jason Smith/Getty Images

South Carolina's Miss Sprint Cup, Paige Duke has learned an ever-so painful lesson. Boyfriends have a tendency to become ex-boyfriends. When that happens, racy photos have a tendency to become public domain.

Duke took the photos in her freshman year at Clemson University. While the photos are old, the recent stir she has caused violates a morals clause in the contract she signed to take on the role.

As a result, she was fired.

Here Duke is, a 24-year-old vet tech/ Nascar Miss Sprint Cup, and photos from over five years ago have changed her life forever.

It just goes to show that while boyfriends come and go, nude photos are forever. Like a trjoan horse virus, there is no telling when they are going to emerge, and the results can be devastating.

NASCAR's hands were tied in this scenario, as they can't have her be a representative of their sport in light of the scandal. Rules are rules, and though she may not been breaking them while she sent the pictures, their appearance on the internet makes her fair game for termination.

On the bright side, Duke just gained a huge following. We've seen sex scandals and racy "private" media propel a D-list celebrity into tabloid stardom. Her career as a Miss Sprint Cup may be over, but this will likely open the door for her to seek other ventures.

She's not exactly the caliber celebrity Erin Andrews was when her nude hotel video was released, but she could see the same sort of rise in popularity.

It's going to be interesting to see if the general public sympathizes with her, pointing to her ex-boyfriend as the real perpetrator in this scenario or blames her for her irresponsibility. 

She feels she lost "the perfect job" with this unfortunate event. She's also not hard to look at and seems apologetic for her action, which could lead to a strong backing for her.

It's hard not to feel a little sympathetic for her, given the length of time ago that these photos were taken. Even so, she has to suffer the consequences for her poor judgement, regardless of how long ago it occurred. 

Keep it locked to Bleacher Report's motorsports page for all up-to-date news and analysis.

---Kyle Vassalo

Paige Duke has Been Fired by NASCAR After Nude Photos Are Leaked to the Internet

For the past year and a half Paige Duke has been one of the three Miss Sprint Cup girls that travels with NASCAR. She served as an ambassador to the sport. As you might imagine the Miss Sprint Cup girls aren't selected on the basis of the same Ambassador qualifications as say the government does. And as you can also probably imagine the qualifications that earned Paige Duke her NASCAR ambassador post also are sought after in other capacities—namely the nude photo industry. 

And as a result of her involvement in that other industry she will not be in attendance in any official capacity for NASCAR as the Sprint Cup series rolls into Kentucky. Paige Duke has been relieved of her Miss Sprint Cup duties. Duke:

I lost my job, the best job I could have ever asked for, it was perfect for me.

Duke added that she understood the decision given that it was a violation of her morality cause, and added the she never intended for these pictures to be made for public consumption.

I did not intend for anybody to see these and now I'm exploited

These were pictures I had sent an ex-boyfriend when I was 18.  This is the most embarrassing thing that could have ever happened to me.

We're still investigating how these pictures got out there.  All we know is they came from his computer; he's the only person i sent them to.

It is an unfortunate set of circumstances. Duke meant for these pictures to be private, and now they are view for the whole world to see and it has cost her her dream job.

Duke said she has learned a lesson for this process and that is:

Don't do anything you wouldn't want your grandma to see.

And in this age of of ease of photo replication and distribution, that is sage advice.

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