What NASCAR driver was seen on TV last year more than any other?

   What NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver was seen on TV more than any other last year?

   The answer will probably not surprise you, when you consider the mainstream marketability of four-time series champion Jeff Gordon.

   According to Repucom, which specializes in sports and entertainment intelligence solutions, Gordon was seen on TV for a total of just over 24 hours of broadcast time in 2014. He and his sponsors also generated more than one billion online impressions.

   Gordon's fan base is approximately 14 million strong and one in five NASCAR fans identified Gordon as the favorite driver, according to data from Repucom.

   "From Saturday night racing under the lights to 'Saturday Night Live,' the four-time Sprint Cup champion has provided a tremendous amount of exposure for NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports, sponsors and charitable causes," said Peter Laatz, executive vice president of Repucom.

  "Jeff Gordon's skills as an ambassador are surpassed only by his racing accomplishments."

   Gordon is ranked third among current NASCAR drivers, behind Danica Patrick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in overall marketability upon Reucom's Celebrity DBI, an independent index that quantifies consumer perceptions of more than 5,000 celebrities worldwide.

Danica Patrick disappointed original GoDaddy Super Bowl ad didn't run

   NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drive Danica Patrick said Thursday she was "definitely disappointed" GoDaddy, which sponsors her No. 10 Chevrolet at Stewart-Haas Racing, pulled its original Super Bowl after an uproar from animal rescue activists.

   Patrick also scoffed at the notion GoDaddy put together the first ad with intentions of pulling it all along as some sort of publicity ploy. 

   "GoDaddy had every intention to run that commercial, and I feel like I heard from a lot of people that it was like choreographed and it was planned and stuff. I think that's so funny. We thought it was a really funny, absolutely left‑sided joke, but it really was not intentional," Patrick said Monday at Daytona International Speedway.

   "So was I surprised? I don't think anything in this culture surprises me anymore. I mean, people have opinions about everything, especially when you get into that world of animal rights or tree rights or whatever rights. They all have an opinion ... We were here to be funny, and enough people didn't think it was funny."

   The original ad, entitled "Lost Dog," showed a puppy that falls out of a truck and then eventually finds its way back home. Upon arrival, the puppy discovers its owner used GoDaddy to set up a Web site to sell the dog to a new owner. Patrick drove the van which carries the puppy to its new owner. 

   You can read more about the controversy and see the original ad here.

Kevin Harvick on relationship with his dad: 'I don't know that you could fix all of that'

   Reigning Sprint Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick was interviewed recently at the NASCAR Hall of Fame for the nationally-syndicated sports interview show, "In Depth with Graham Bensinger," which will air nationwide this weekend, including 12:05 a.m. ET Sunday on WBTV in Charlotte.

   In the interview, Harvick talks about coming from a broken home and the lessons he learned from his relationship with his father, Mike, when he was growing up. Harvick told Bensinger the fallout between the two may not be fixable.

   Here's a short takeout from the interview: 

   Harvick: “I grew up in a little bit of a broken house. You know, the night I won my first late model race was the night my mom moved everything out of the house. So you go from, you know, having this moment where you think you’ve taken another step in your career to, you know that dad’s coming home to, he’s coming home to nothing … There was a lot of situations like that … He had a drinking problem as I grew up and you see and are exposed to a lot of things that you probably don’t want to do as a parent.”

   Later Bensinger asks Harvick if his dad has come around:

   Harvick: “I don’t know that that’ll actually ever all come back around … There’s just so many things that happened along the way that, you know, I don’t know that you could fix all of that stuff.”

   You can watch a short video take from the interview, which will air in its entirety this weekend, here.

The Burtons are back in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series

   Jeb Burton, the 22-year-old son of former NASCAR driver and Daytona 500 winner Ward Burton, will move full-time to the Sprint Cup Series this season, driving the No. 26 Toyota for BK Racing, the team announced on Monday.

   In addition, the team said Ward Burton would join the organization as a 'team ambassador' and would make appearances with Jeb during the 2015 NASCAR season.

   In 49 starts in NASCAR's Truck series, Jeb had one win, seven top-five and 19 top-10 finishes and won seven poles.

    "I am so thankful for the opportunity that BK Racing has given me," Jeb said. "It has been a dream of mine to race in the Daytona 500 ever since I was 9 years old and I stood with my dad in Victory Lane.

   "I remember thinking to myself then in 2002, I would like to win the 500 one day. Now I have a chance at making that dream come true."

   Ward Burton last competed regularly in NASCAR in 2007 and his brother Jeff Burton, Jeb's uncle, has retired as a driver and will serve as a TV analyst this season for NBC Sports' NASCAR coverage.

Mark Martin no longer working with Roush Fenway Racing as NASCAR driver coach

   NASCAR veteran Mark Martin confirmed through messages to his followers on Twitter that he is no longer working as a driver development coach for Roush Fenway Racing.

   Martin spent the vast majority of his NASCAR career with the organization, and won 35 of his 40 career wins in the Sprint Cup Series with the team co-owned by Jack Roush.

  On Friday and Saturday, Martin replied, "No," when asked by fans if he would be working with Roush's group of younger drivers during the 2015 season. Last July, RFR announced Martin had returned to the organization as a driver development coach. 

   Also Saturday morning, Martin was asked by a fan for an explanation of what happened at Roush. Here was his reply:

I didn't want to go to the races. I've done enough of that for now. Except for dirt track. RT @dustincary: @markmartin what happen at Roush?
— Mark Martin (@markmartin) February 7, 2015

   A spokesman for RFR confirmed Saturday that Martin would no longer be involved in the driver coach role with the organization.

   In recent weeks Martin announced he, along with dirt track veteran Scott Bloomquist, would field a pair of entries this season in the Lucas Oil Late Model championship. Bloomquist and upstart Jared Landers will drive for the team.

Did you know that NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson was also a scientist?

   With the help of NASCAR driver-turned-“scientist” Jimmie Johnson, Valvoline has launched its latest product development, Full Synthetic High Mileage motor oil with MaxLife technology.

   Valvoline teamed up with the six-time Sprint Cup champion and his No. 48 Chevrolet to bring the product’s benefits to life with an entertaining spot featuring none other than “Jimmie the Scientist.” 

   Check it out.

Brad Keselowski to join growing list of NASCAR driver dads

   Brad Keselowski, the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, announced in his blog on Wednesday that he and his girlfriend, Paige White, are expecting their first child, a girl.

   Keselowski, 30, is the latest NASCAR driver to become a father. Cup driver Kyle Busch and his wife, Samantha, are expecting a baby boy in May. Driver Kyle Larson and his girlfriend, Katelyn Sweet, welcomed a son, Owen, in December.

   In his blog, Keselowski asked that fans and media respect the privacy of his family.

   "I’m a public figure, and that’s what I’ve signed up for. But the baby girl we’re having hasn’t signed up for any of that. So if you can keep the focus on me, that would mean a lot to us," he wrote.

   You can read Keselowski's blog in its entirety here.