2017 NASCAR After The Lap™ Supporting the Vegas Strong Fund’ Event

#NASCAR #ChampionsWeek #VegasStrong

NASCAR Race Mom flew into the ‘City Of Sin’ for Champions Week. I finished the busy yesterday at the ‘2017 NASCAR After The Lap™ Supporting the Vegas Strong Fund’ event. 

We arrived about a half hour early. Photographer Shannon Kelly and I utilized the time to socialize with the crowd and meetup with fellow MDR Motorsports followers. 

At first, it seemed that the NASCAR Volunteers were unorganized and confused. Heck, they even made the legendary Leonard Woods stand in line, waiting to enter the venue. 

However, NRM was wrong. I was informed that the event would start at 8:00 p.m. sharp. After receiving quick instructions, the staff opened the line exactly on time. Security was heavy and event participants had to stroll through an x-ray machine.

My photographer and I laughed as our credentials were checked every few feet . . . six times total before we were allowed up the stairs and into the 3rd floor VIP section. Do not get me wrong; I am not complaining. Everyone was very helpful and polite. 

A sea of Red Balloons, NASCAR Drivers, and Live Music by Lee Brice whipped the ‘standing room only’ crowd to an excited frenzy at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. 

The first hour consisted of a first-ever, live on-stage, episode of ‘Glass Case of Emotion.’ NASCAR driver Ryan Blaney with Kim Coon hosted the podcast featuring Monster Energy Series Playoffs Drivers including the 2017 champ Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, Brad Keselowski, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and the much booed Kyle Busch. 

“No” Busch corrected, “You have to start with my last name Busch-ooooooooooooo.” The humor was not lost on the rowdy crowd.

The last podcast guest was NASCAR’s most popular driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. Appropriately, the retiring driver spent the most time on stage and entertained the audience with his tales of his group of friend’s outrageous pranks which included dowsing unconscious party-goers with a sticky mixture of water and flour.

On a personal note; NRM would have loved to see Matt Kenseth on stage - I will miss him. 

Vegas bound for @NASCAR’s After The Lap concert tonight! All proceeds benefit the Vegas Strong Fund. Tickets: https://t.co/aMsQVASCFu pic.twitter.com/oXCxEIYuRA

— Lee Brice (@leebrice) November 29, 2017

After a short intermission for set-up, Lee Brice commanded the stage. The 38-year-old singer-songwriter put on quite the show. The hour set flew by. After his encore of ‘The Best Part of Me’ which he wrote for his daughter, it was time to go; but not before Brice signed his guitar and handed it to a lucky fan at the foot of the stage.  Mr. Brice definitely made a new fan out of me last night.

The ‘2017 NASCAR After The Lap™ Supporting the Vegas Strong Fund’ event was well worth the price for any NASCAR / Music fan. It was hilarious, entertaining and fast-paced. However, the best part of the evening was the fact that all the proceeds from the ticket sales will go to the Vegas Strong Fund.

Related Posts:

1. 2017 NASCAR Champion Portraits
2. Victory Junction Partners with Facebook for #GivingTuesday
3. Matt Kenseth's Thoughts After His Last Race for JGR
4. NASCAR Champion's Week™ Las Vegas
5. Truex and Toyota are #NASCAR Cup Champs
  

 

 

2017 NASCAR Champion Portraits

They say a picture is worth a thousand words . . . . . .

Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #78 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Toyota,
and his crew chief Cole Pearn pose with the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup
Series championship trophy after winning the Ford EcoBoost 400 at
Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 19, 2017 in Homestead, Florida.

Martin Truex Jr., and Significant Other Sherry Pollex pose with the Monster
Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship trophy.

William Byron, driver of the #9 Liberty University Chevrolet, poses for a
photo with the champion's trophy after winning the NASCAR XFINITY
series championship by finishing third during the NASCAR XFINITY Series
Championship Ford EcoBoost 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

William Byron, his crew chief David Elenz and team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr.
pose for a photo with the champion's trophy.

Christopher Bell, driver of the #4 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota poses with
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Trophy after finishing second
In the Ford EcoBoost 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Crew Chief Ryan Fugle with Christopher Bell.

Team Owner Kyle Busch with #NCWTS Champion Christopher Bell.

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5. Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Biggest #NASCAR Career Regret
 

Victory Junction Partners with Facebook for #GivingTuesday

If you are not familiar with Victory Junction, let me tell you it is one of NASCAR Race Mom’s passions.

Victory Junction is a medically safe, yet exhilarating camp that challenges children who have a serious medical condition to try things they never imagined possible. As they conquer activities like zip lining and archery or experience bowling, fishing or swimming, children build confidence that will shape how they view the rest of their lives.

However, Victory Junction can’t do it without you. Children with serious illnesses are given the camp experiences they deserve, always at no cost to their families, only through the support of generous individuals, companies and organizations.

Set your alarms...tomorrow is #GivingTuesday and Victory Junction needs your help! Facebook is going to match dollar-for-dollar any donations they receive (up to $50,000).

Starting at 8am EST, head to facebook.com/VictoryJunction and hit the “donate” button to help more kids experience the magic of Victory Junction!

Shopping online this holiday season? On @Amazon, don’t forget to use @amazonsmile and select Victory Junction as your charity of choice. A portion of your purchase will come back to camp! https://t.co/K3sNotCZji pic.twitter.com/SasH0a0jTf

— Victory Junction (@VictoryJunction) November 25, 2017

Thanks to the generosity of donors, families never pay for their child to attend Victory Junction.

From our home to yours, we wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. We are so thankful for you!

A post shared by Victory Junction (@victoryjunction) on Nov 23, 2017 at 9:53am PST

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2. NASCAR Champion's Week™ Las Vegas
3. Truex and Toyota are #NASCAR Cup Champs
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Biggest #NASCAR Career Regret
5. Tony Stewart is Engaged
 

A couple photos NASCAR Race Mom took this May on her tour of Victory Junction.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Matt Kenseth's Thoughts After His Last Race for JGR

Kenseth Drives Off With Top-10 Finish At Homestead

Fresh off a victory at Phoenix, Matt Kenseth and his No. 20 team entered the weekend at Homestead with a throwback paint scheme aboard their DEWALT Toyota that paid homage to Kenseth’s rookie season in the series. The special paint scheme also featured Habitat for Humanity and ways that fans could help with hurricane recovery efforts. 

One last voyage! #ThanksKenseth! @DEWALTtough pic.twitter.com/SAD5QmbAw8

— Joe Gibbs Racing 🚗🏁 (@JoeGibbsRacing) November 19, 2017

After eighteen consecutive seasons in Cup and losing his ride at Joe Gibbs Racing, it would appear that Kenseth will be taking a break from NASCAR’s premier series after this race . . . perhaps permanently.

 Below are his post race thoughts.

What was it like turning those final laps in the 20 car?

“I didn’t think about much the last 20 laps except for trying to get by the 2 (Brad Keselowski) car to be honest totally honest with you. Obviously last week was a magical week or race – to win that race and then this week has been really fun. The pre-race stuff was really fun. I was glad Katie (Kenseth, wife) was able to get down here and all and having the kids here, my dad, my sister and everybody. It was really fun obviously what DeWalt did with this paint job and Habitat for Humanity, but doing my rookie paint job was cool as well. So it was a really cool day, but once you start the engine, really didn’t think about anything to be honest with you, except for trying to go out and perform the best you can and trying to win that race.”

What do you want your legacy to be on this sport?

“I always answer this wrong. You know, I don’t know. I think at the end of the day, people make up their minds. You know, some people are going to like you, some people aren’t. Some people are going to respect you, some people won’t. So I mean, whatever people think, they think. I did the best I could every week. Didn’t always do the right thing, that’s for sure, but raced as hard as I could and at the time I always felt like I was trying to do the right thing and gave it my all every time I went to the race track, so that’s all I could do.”

What will you miss the most about racing?

“Man, I don’t know. I guess the fans. You know, you hear them yelling right now and last week was really really neat when I was doing that backwards victory lap, the Polish victory lap like (Alan) Kulwicki did at Phoenix ironically. You could hear the fans screaming through the window and just all the respect that they’ve shown me the last couple weeks has been really really humbling, so probably, I’ll miss that the most.”

Matt Kenseth Race Summary 

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP Series
Ford EcoBoost 400 Homestead-Miami Speedway

No. 20 DEWALT Hurricane Recovery Toyota Camry

• Started: 4th • Finished: 8th • 267/267

• 2,344 total points for the season;

• 7th in the driver point standings

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On a personal note, NASCAR Race Mom had the pleasure of working with Mr. Kenseth (click here) once back in 2011.  I found the man to be humble, kind, and very very helpful. #ThanksKenseth - I will miss you.

Because of @mattkenseth, I can proudly say that I was part of winning a #DAYTONA500! An unbelievable experience in the strangest 500 in quite some time. #Jetdryerfire #raindelay #foggedin #ThanksKenseth pic.twitter.com/H48IZrCQOT

— Jess Rohlik (@JessicaLRohlik) November 17, 2017

What a ride. #ThanksKenseth pic.twitter.com/zAvtIPUEaJ

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) November 18, 2017

39 wins, 20 poles, a championship, and countless passionate fans.

Congrats to @mattkenseth on a Hall of Fame career and thanks for letting us be a small part of #TeaMKenseth #ThanksKenseth pic.twitter.com/XDya2xu0xz

— XFINITY Racing (@XFINITYRacing) November 19, 2017

As he gets ready for one last race, we just want to say #ThanksKenseth for all the memories pic.twitter.com/4f4LdvJOgv

— Your Favorite NASCAR Team, Roush Fenway Racing (@roushfenway) November 19, 2017

#ThanksKenseth pic.twitter.com/F8mCAAKg5Y

— Chris Phineas (@ChrisPhineas) November 25, 2017

#ThanksKenseth pic.twitter.com/1FQCyrJkQG

— Las Vegas Motor Speedway (@LVMotorSpeedway) November 22, 2017

NASCAR Champion's Week™ Las Vegas

See Your Favorite Drivers as You've Never Seen Them Before.

NASCAR Champion's Week™ Las Vegas returns to November 28 - November 30 to celebrate the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series™ season and crown Martian Truex Jr. as our 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Champion!

A message we should all live by.

A post shared by NASCAR (@nascar) on Nov 26, 2017 at 10:25am PST

The 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season ends with the biggest party of all – Las Vegas style. You don’t want to miss out on the week of memorable moments. 

Come celebrate at NASCAR Champion’s Week™ Las Vegas Fan Headquarters in The Park with giveaways, activities and driver appearances. 

Also, be sure to visit the NASCAR Fan Lounge at Beerhaus Presented by Coors Light.

Schedule of Events

NASCAR Fan HQ at The Park

• LOCATION: The Park
• DATE: Tuesday, November 28th – Thursday, November 30th
• TIME: Open Daily from 1:00 PM – 8:00 PM PST

NASCAR Fan Lounge at Beerhaus Presented by Coors Light

• LOCATION: The Park, Beerhaus
• DATE: Tuesday, November 28th – Thursday, November 30th
• TIME: Open Daily from 1:00 PM – 8:00 PM PST

Join us for Champion’s Week Kicko_ with 2017 MENCS, NXS and NCWTS Champions

• DATE: Tuesday, November 28th
• TIME: 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM PST

NASCAR Drivers Autograph Session

• LOCATION: NASCAR Fan HQ at The Park
• DATES: Tuesday, November 28th, and Thursday, November 30th
• TIMES: Tuesday 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM PST, Thursday 11:30 AM -1:00 PM PST

APPRECI88ION, An Evening with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Presented by Nationwide

• LOCATION: Rose. Rabbit. Lie at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
• DATE: Tuesday, November 28th
• TIME: 9:00 PM PST – 10:30 PM PST

NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Awards

• LOCATION: Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas
• DATE: Wednesday, November 29th
• TIME: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM PST

NASCAR Victory Lap™ Fueled by Sunoco

• LOCATION: Las Vegas Blvd /Toshiba Plaza at T-Mobile Arena
• DATE: Wednesday, November 29th
• TIME: 2:30 PM – 5:00 PM PST

NASCAR After the Lap™ Supporting the Vegas Strong Fund

• DATE: Wednesday, November 29th
• LOCATION: The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan
• TIME: 8:00 PM – 11:00 PM PST

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Awards

• LOCATION: Wynn Las Vegas
• DATE: Thursday, November 30th
• TIME: 
• Red Carpet – 4:00PM PST
• Awards – 5:00 PM PST
• Broadcast live on SiriusXM and MRN
• Broadcast on NBCSN, 9:00PM EST/ 6:00PM PST

Be sure to check championsweek.nascar.com for updated information that will help you plan your week accordingly.

NASCAR Race Mom gets to attend the NASCAR Champion festivities in Las Vegas this year.  I will be sure to post photos and exclusive content.

Quote this tweet and share your favorite @DaleJr memory! #Appreci88ion pic.twitter.com/K4DpAJNf9j

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) November 25, 2017

Retweet to congratulate @MartinTruex_Jr on winning the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship!#TruexJr #Championship4 pic.twitter.com/ybmXKu8hWm

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) November 19, 2017

Next week, the celebration starts!

Join us in Las Vegas for Champion’s Week! For information about events, autograph sessions and tickets, check out the #ChampionsWeek website here: https://t.co/tKpTP2rY9A. pic.twitter.com/4wGZ3UcFML

— Las Vegas Motor Speedway (@LVMotorSpeedway) November 22, 2017

Click Here for FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

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Truex and Toyota are #NASCAR Cup Champs

Martin Truex Jr. capped a career-best season with the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver’s championship Sunday, giving Toyota both the driver’s and manufacturer’s championship to conclude its 2017 campaign.

Truex had to fend off fellow Toyota driver and title hopeful Kyle Busch to win the championship with the Camry drivers finishing in first and second place in the season finale to decide the title.

“I can’t event believe it,” said Truex in an emotional victory lane ceremony. “I can’t believe we got the lead. I can’t believe we kept it. We weren’t the best car all day long. The 4 (Kevin Harvick) and the 18 (Kyle Busch) were both better on the long run all day long. I just had to find something at the end and luckily was able to find a lane that was really good for my car, but also bad for them behind me and just worked out.”

After the race’s final restart, Truex first had to fend off Harvick in the closing laps before Busch surged from fourth to second, where he settled in behind Truex to stalk the race leader. However, with Truex changing lanes to find speed and block, and with Busch’s tires wearing, the second-place finisher was unable to muster the speed to make a pass on Truex. 

“This whole year has been a dream year,” said Truex. “It’s been meant to be all year long. We’ve got the team best in the world. I’m so thankful for them … Toyota and TRD (Toyota Racing Development) and everybody that puts so much into this. I’m just unbelievably proud and thanks to everybody at JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) for the chassis and cooperation and running one-two tonight was pretty awesome.”

Disappointed, but also very proud of all this team accomplished this season. Congrats to Martin, Cole and the entire 78 team as well as @ToyotaRacing on the Championship. pic.twitter.com/4lM4l8tzh3

— Kyle Busch (@KyleBusch) November 20, 2017

Truex’s title is the second driver’s championship for Toyota after Busch won his in 2015. The finale victory also gave Toyota its second-consecutive Cup Series manufacturer’s title after Toyota swept all three manufacturer’s championships in 2016.

Twice as nice.

Bringing home the #NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer title for the second
straight year. pic.twitter.com/CHfeek8iFp

— Toyota Racing (@ToyotaRacing) November 19, 2017

Truex, who was twice a NASCAR XFINITY Series champion (2004-05), won a career-high eight races this season to capture the title and set records in the process. In 2017, Truex set records for total wins at 1.5-mile tracks with seven, including the season finale at Homestead, and for consecutive wins on 1.5-milers with four.

It wasn't a dream. pic.twitter.com/IV63jR6hbG

— Toyota Racing (@ToyotaRacing) November 20, 2017

The title was also won after Truex’s Denver-based Furniture Row Racing team overcame multiple tribulations away from the track. Truex’s longtime girlfriend Sherry Pollex had surgery following a recurrence of cancer in July while crew chief Cole Pearn had a close friend unexpectedly pass during the season and the team also lost a crew member in October. Most recently, team owner Barney Visser had an unplanned heart bypass surgery that resulted in the principal missing the finale.

“It’s just overwhelming,” said Truex. “To think about all the rough days and bad days, the days that we couldn’t run 20th [and] to be here, I never thought this day would come and to be here is so unbelievable.”

Toyota also won the 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver’s and manufacturer’s championships. Tundra driver Christopher Bell secured both championships with a second-place finish for Kyle Busch Motorsports at Homestead.

Source

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