Carl Edwards makes wishes come true

   NASCAR star Carl Edwards helped out a friend and in the process helped to make wishes come true for children with life-threatening medical conditions.

   Edwards is friends with World Wrestling Entertainment star John Cena, who has been involved in a personal campaign to raise 3 million Delta frequent flyer miles for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

   Edwards recently donated his Delta frequent flyer miles to help Cena reach his goal, and with an extra contribution of 1 million miles by Cena, Make-A-Wish received 4.2 million Delta miles from the campaign.

   “We did it. We hit the 1 million mile mark in donations of Delta frequent flyer miles with the help of my good friend, NASCAR driver Carl Edwards, who donated his Delta miles to put us over the top,” Cena said.

   In addition to being friends with Cena, Edwards also served as a "guest host" of one of WWE's live "Monday Night Raw" TV programs in 2010.

   To read more about Edwards, Cena and the Make-A-Wish campaign, go here.

 

Yes, Kevin Conway's in the Shootout

   Yes, folks, there is actually a criteria in NASCAR that allows Kevin Conway to race in the 2011 season's first event while leaving out the likes of Brian Vickers, David Reutimann, AJ Allmendinger, Brad Keselowski and Elliott Sadler, among others.

   You remember Conway, the winner of the one-man Cup rookie of the year competition who registered one whopping top 20 finish this season?

   Because of a change in the eligibility rules for the Budweiser Shootout NASCAR announced on Friday, Conway - the 2010 rookie of the year "winner" - is eligible to race in the kickoff to this year's Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway.

   The rule change allows all former rookies for the previous 10 years eligible which coincidentally makes Kasey Kahne, Joey Logano and Juan Pablo Montoya eligible.

   I'm sorry, but the eligibility rules of the Shootout have now been tricked up more than the Chase, leaving it about a dozen drivers short of being just another Cup race.

   So, why not just make it one?

   Surely, holding a non-points, full-field Cup race at Daytona has got to be better than any event which somehow places Conway in a higher regard in NASCAR competition than the likes of Vickers, Keselowski and Sadler - all of whom who have won actual Cup series races.

Congrats to Ray Evernham on his new job, but what exactly is it ?

   I sincerely would like to congratulate Ray Evernham on his new job, but honestly I have little understanding what exactly he will be doing with Hendrick Companies.

   On Tuesday, Hendrick Motorsports distributed a press release announcing Evernham - a previous championship crew chief at Hendrick and most recently ESPN TV analyst - had signed on as a consultant for Hendrick Companies, formed in 2005 to oversee own Rick Hendrick's "strategic initiatives." Evernham, it appears, will be consult on "special projects."

   According to the release Evernham's role will be to help with the development of the Hendrick Performance retail brand of high-performance parts, vehicles, products and related services.

   No where in the release in regards to Evernham's work can be found the words "NASCAR," "motorsports" or "Earnhardt Jr." (of course there were rumors he was going to become Earnhardt's crew chief. Isn't everyone?).

   Given the hoopla surrounding the anticipation of this move to Hendrick by some of my colleagues in the media, I have to say I am a little underwhelmed by the initial details of his announcement.

   That's not to say Evernham may not be involved in some grand project with a long-lasting and highly profitable impact on Hendrick Companies, or even Hendrick Motorsports or perhaps in NASCAR itself.

   It's just that in reality I still have no clue what he's doing. Do you?

  

Brad Keselowski goes back to school

   You're never too old to learn and for 26-year-old Nationwide Series champion Brad Keselowski, there was plenty he needed to know before starting the 2011 NASCAR Season promoting a new sponsor in the Sprint Cup Series for his No. 2 Penske Racing team.

   How about "Beer 101"? It's hard to imagine many young people passing up a chance to pass - or fail - that class.

   Keselowski recently took a trip to the MillerCoors brewery in Milwaukee to learn the history of Miller Lite and its history of sponsorship in NASCAR. He charged into beer fundamentals with Miller brewmaster Manny Manuele. There he learned the complex brewing process that produces the great taste of Miller Lite.

   The trip was capped off with the annual Christmas lighting ceremony on State Street, right in front of the site of the original Plank Road Brewery, which Miller purchased and transformed into the Miller Brewing Company.

   "The trip to Milwaukee was an awesome learning experience for me as I prepare to represent such a great brand in Miller Lite," said Keselowski. "A lot of adults know how to drink a beer, but it was really cool to see how it is produced, and even how to pair it with certain food.

   "There is tradition and greatness that comes with being associated with Miller Lite. The ‘Blue Deuce' has an unbelievable history in our sport. Rusty Wallace and Kurt Busch set a very high bar, but I'm confident my team and I can carry on that successful legacy."

   Any chance Keselowski didn't get an 'A'?

 

NASCAR TV start times look like they will remain the same in 2011

   The TV start times for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, at least those on the Fox Network anyways, look like they will remain the same in 2011.

   The Observer and ThatsRacin.com have obtained the approximate green-flag start times of all the Cup races that will be broadcast on Fox and they all generally follow the same 1 p.m.-3 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Eastern start time slots of 2010.

   NASCAR CEO and Chairman Brian France said during the season finale race weekend in Homestead, Fla., that the sanctioning body was looking at several areas that could be affecting poor TV ratings in 2010, including start times.

   According to the information obtained, the Budweiser Shootout is scheduled for a green-flag start at 8:29 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 12. The 2011 Daytona 500 is scheduled for a 1:19 p.m. green-flag start on Feb. 20.

   Other green-flag start times:
   3:14 p.m. Eastern Feb. 27 at Phoenix
   3:16 p.m. Eastern March 6 at Las Vegas
   1:13 p.m. Eastern March 20 at Bristol
   3:16 p.m. Eastern March 27 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif.
   1:13 p.m. Eastern April 3 at Martinsville, Va.
   7:46 p.m. Eastern April 9 at Texas
   1:19 p.m. Eastern April 17 at Talladega, Ala.
   7:44 p.m. Eastern April 30 at Richmond, Va.
   7:45 p.m. Eastern May 7 at Darlington, S.C.
   1:15 p.m. Eastern May 15 at Dover, Del.
   7:46 p.m. Eastern May 21 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway
   6:15 p.m. Eastern May 29 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway
   1:16 p.m. Eastern June 5 at Kansas

Jennifer Jo Cobb to appear on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360"

   NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver and team owner Jennifer Jo Cobb is scheduled to appear on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360" this week to discuss extreme living with Dr. Sanjay Gupta. The interview was recorded in New York City on Dec. 21 and set to air on Tuesday.

   The interview will focus on the on-track and off-track exploits of the driver's lifestyle as a team owner and driver in the Truck and Nationwide series.

   "This was a great opportunity to discuss the lifestyle associated with a NASCAR driver. Most race fans only see what takes place at the race track. They don't get to see what we're like when we aren't at a speedway," she said. "I get lots of questions about what I do in my spare time and what I enjoy doing when I'm not racing. Hopefully this will give the folks at home some insight into the sport, and what drivers are all about."

Christmas week notes in NASCAR

   Some notes in and around NASCAR this Christmas week:

   -Looks like Todd Gordon, who spent this season as race-day engineer for Diamond-Waltrip Racing's NASCAR Nationwide team, will become the new crew chief for Penske Racing's Brad Keselowski in the Nationwide Series. Gordon joined Diamond-Waltrip in January. Keselowski is fresh off winning the series championship with help from an astounding 26 top-five finishes in 35 races. His crew chief in the series this season, Paul Wolfe, moves to Keselowski's Sprint Cup team in 2011.

   -Roush Fenway Racing recently named Steve Newmark as its new president. Newmark will succeed Geoff Smith in the position; Smith is retiring at the end of this month after serving in the role for 13 years. Newmark, who previously was a shareholder at the law firm of Robinson, Bradshaw and Hinson, joined the organization as senior vice president of business operations in April. "We are excited about Steve coming on board as our president," said Roush Fenway owner Jack Roush. "Steve has a solid background working in all areas of sports and brings new ideas and insight into our organization. Importantly, he has been part of the Roush Fenway family for many years, beginning as outside counsel and then as head of our business operations this year."

   -Book and comedy tours, welcoming an action sports star to NASCAR, tons of television work and a return to racing are on tap for the 47-year-old Michael Waltrip as he begins his second full season of what he calls “semi-retirement.” Waltrip's first book, "In the blink of an eye," debuts in February and his "Michael Waltrip Comedy Garage Tour" begins its second season. Motocross and X-Game star Travis Pastrana will run seven Nationwide races this season with a team co-owned by Waltrip. Waltrip will continue his TV work on Camping World Truck Series broadcasts on Speed as well as on Showtime's "Inside NASCAR" program.

   Waltrip will still be racing as well, joining MWR co-owner Rob Kauffman in a Ferrari sports car in Portugal, Dubai and other tracks across the globe. He’ll also compete in the 2010 Daytona 500, the new race at Kentucky Speedway and possibly a few more.