NASCAR on Holidays: Traditions, Fun, and More!

December 26, 2024

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Dec 26, 2024 | Edition #115

👋 Dear Motorheads,

We hope you had a merry Christmas! But Lucky Dog knows that not all of you are a fan of every holiday tradition. And, so isn’t Samantha Busch! While Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin are sending diecasts as presents, Rowdy’s wife is not afraid to call out certain things.

But don’t get it twisted—she’s still all about spending quality time with loved ones and soaking in those feel-good vibes. Samantha just has a little “Grinch” in her.

Quick Peek Into Today’s Stories:

🤨 Kyle Busch’s Wife’s Big Holiday Reveal

🎅 Sneak Peek Into NASCAR Drivers’ Christmas Celebrations

🏛️ Another Judgment on NASCAR Lawsuit

👶🏻🍼 Baby Dom & Shenanigans at Tony Stewart’s House

🤔 How HMS Made a 7-Time Champion?

🌊 The Off-Season Wave

Samantha Busch’s ‘Grinch’ Christmas Hate List

We know Christmas is all about homecoming, love, food, and presents. But, you'd be surprised to know Samantha Busch has a long list of things she can't stand about the holiday season. And, it’s mainly about gifts.

For Samantha, the real problem starts when it’s time to wrap them. It’s a battle, as she explains in the post! But unlike us all, she probably only doesn’t redo it because she tells herself, “I’ll do better next year.”  

The second thing is—Christmas music. But before you judge, she’s not a total holiday music Grinch. She loves going to church, we remember her going to the Elevation Church a few years back. But maybe as soon as she’s back in the car, it's back to whatever’s on the radio—probably “Sexy Back” [this is from her JT concert post] or something completely non-holiday.

And, you’d be surprised to know the third thing. that Samantha, who is a self-proclaimed foodie, has never tried a single one of those holiday Starbucks drinks. While some of us are counting down the days for the return of the Pumpkin Spice Latte and Peppermint Mocha, Samantha thinks they’re overrated. But, when Samantha opened the floor to her fans to see if anyone else shared her "Christmas hates," it turns out, she’s not alone.

A lot of her followers feel the same way. But, it doesn’t matter if the gifts are wrinkled or not, once Lennix and Brexton tear through them it's pure joy for Samantha. Be it Brexton's wide smile seeing his new boat or Elsa calling shotgun as Lennix does donuts. 

While this is about the Busch house, Lucky Dog thought it would be fun to see what other NASCAR WAGs are up to.

Starting with Dale Jr and Amy Earnhardt. The couple loves decking out the house, and putting gifts under the tree, and not to mention, even their puppy is soaking in some holiday spirit. But what they really love most is seeing their daughters happy. It looks like Isla and Nicole are absolutely loving their bracelets from the Taylor Swift concert.

And, next up we have some insights from Danica Patrick’s holiday vibe [we know she’s not one of the wives or girlfriends but…].

Danica’s been having way too much fun this holiday season. Matching outfits for the whole family, a crazy marshmallow game, and, of course, a whole lot of pancakes. Seriously, Danica, stop teasing us with those mouthwatering Instagram stories. Just send some pancakes over to us already!

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👀 Must-See Moments

Inside Your Favorite NASCAR Driver’s Holiday Traditions!

As we scrolled through the Christmas feed, we came across RCR’s viral video from 2021. In the video, you can see the team sharing their favorite presents ever. While Lucky Dog couldn’t make your favorite drivers share their tales, we have compiled a wholesome list of who did what for Christmas!

Chase Briscoe

Starting off with Chase Briscoe, who seems to be facing the same Christmas dilemma as Samantha Busch. While Samantha at least took the time to redo her wrapping, Briscoe quite literally just slapped some tape on it and called it a day. The present was for his son, Brooks [who turned into a chef for their Christmas tradition], and whipped up those mouthwatering cinnamon rolls for dessert. It looks like, regardless of where his son wants to be in life, the Cinnamon roll tradition isn’t going anywhere. Here’s the innocent little chef.

Austin Cindric

Of course, Cindrics are known for family traditions. This year they took a unique spin on the classic gingerbread house competition. And, Austin Cindric took home the win—his house had details, quite literally! [A porch, a bench… snow, even landscape] You must take a look at the Christmas porch.

Ryan Blaney 

Blaney is keeping it cozy. If you look at the newlyweds Ryan Blaney and Gianna Tulio, they just had the perfect Christmas setup. The couple had a beautifully decorated tree stacked with gifts and candy. Blaney even shared his favorite Christmas gifts.

Richard Petty 

The king-size Christmas for The King, of course! Yes, Petty’s got some Santa Claus duties but he’s not giving up his iconic style for the red jumpsuit! With so many grandkids and great-grandkids [and when we say "so many," we mean ‘so’ many], it’s no surprise Petty has to play Claus. It’s a holiday homecoming, a huge family coming together for the best time of the year—talk about a full house, you must see this beautiful family picture clicked in their garden under the big bell.

Chase Elliott

While we could see a lot of traditions being posted on social media, Chase Elliott and his partner, Ashley Shae, are keeping it under wraps. But, Elliott has been keeping busy promoting Lucky Dog’s holiday gift ideas. In his Instagram stories, Chase Elliott shared moments from family and friends to whom he had gifted iconic die-casts.

🏁 Lucky Dog’s Quick Poll 🏁

Which Driver Do You Think Has the Most Festive Holiday Spirit?

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Last Poll’s Result: We asked you which NASCAR track looked the most magical as part of the holiday lights tradition across 5 tracks, and we’re not surprised by the results. 54.90% of you chose Charlotte Motor Speedway. After all, it had around 5 million lights shining bright!

🗞️ NASCAR Shorts!

More Twists and Turns in the NASCAR Lawsuit

The charter saga just got spicier! A U.S. District Court judge ruled that NASCAR must approve Stewart-Haas Racing’s charter transfer to Front Row Motorsports. While transferring charters could be a bit difficult, the judge had an interesting take.

He suggested that if the teams ultimately lose the case, they could simply be ordered to sell or lease the charters to someone else. Meanwhile, 23XI and FRM aren’t holding back. The teams claim NASCAR initially gave the green light for the transfers but then backtracked as soon as they filed their lawsuit, calling it a classic case of anti-competitive behavior. Read Full Story

👀 Must-See Moments

Sleepless Nights at the Stewarts!

Charters sold, baby born, and a brand new Dodge home—Tony Stewart’s life is on fire right now! But here’s the thing... we noticed that Leah Pruett has been a bit quiet on social media lately.

The woman who once shared every moment of her and Tony’s lives is of course a busy mom. But, Tony Stewart’s been a supportive father. He’s been singing a lullaby—though we’re pretty sure it sounds more like a V8 engine than a Dragster.

For those who may not know, the Stewarts became first-time parents on November 17th. While baby Dominic James Stewart has brought a ton of joy, he’s also brought a full-time job for the new parents.

While Leah and Tony are figuring it out, the two have divided the duties (mostly deciding who feeds and who handles…). So far, it looks like Leah’s taking the bulk of the load with a 70/30 split. But it’s nothing serious. She was even seen joking about Dominic’s daily routine. Said, he "Eat, sleep, toot, and look cute." But jokes apart, Lucky Dog hopes Tony’s pulling his weight—especially since he can’t blame the NHRA season for being MIA anymore!

So, Tony Stewart will be driving in Leah Pruett’s car again next season, and Leah, a 12-time Top Fuel race winner, continues to take a break. As for now being a parent is a 24/7, 365-day job, but the joy of parenthood totally outweighs the sleepless nights and the endless crying. And, Leah’s loving every minute of it, saying it’s “the best time of her life.” 

But let’s be real, there are tough days when everything feels like it’s spinning out of control. On those days, Leah Pruett can always fire up the car—and you know baby Dom would love a ride in that brand-new red car and even in the Dodge Challenger [we don’t know if it’s a gift/ or they bought it]. 

🫡 The Lucky Dog Salutes

The Making of NASCAR Greatness - Jimmie Johnson

Jimmie Johnson Who? No. We have not lost it. Lucky Dog knows he’s a 7-time NASCAR champion. But before HMS took him under their wing this was a question for many!

But here’s something a lot of people don’t know: the story of how JJ went from a relative unknown to one of the sport's greatest drivers. It all started back in the spring of 2000, at a NASCAR Xfinity Series test session at Darlington Raceway—a track that’s as tough as it gets. You know well, why it's called the ‘track too tough to tame.’ But, here’s what changed the landscape, have a look at that post-hit car climb from the 2000 Watkins Glen race.

So, while he had this crazy year, picture this: Jeff Gordon and Ricky Hendrick, two influential names in HMS, were talking strategy and discussing racing lines.

Jimmie Johnson hits the track, nails the lap, and blows Jeff Gordon away. At the time, the champ had only run 8 Xfinity races, with a best finish of 7th. But Gordon and Ricky Hendrick [Rick Hendrick’s son who later passed away in a plane crash, and it’s been 20 years now] saw something special. All thanks to Ricky. He pitched it to his dad, and with Jeff backing him, Mr. H decided to take a chance.

Another big move was made when Jimmie Johnson passed Gordon at Michigan, sealing the deal. On September 22, 2000, JJ officially joined the team. By then HMS had already won four championships, and with Jeff Gordon at the helm, they were the team to beat.

But for Johnson, it wasn’t until 2002 that he had his first full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series. Those first two years were all about answering the same question: "Why did Hendrick pick Jimmie Johnson?" And, by the end of 2002, he had three wins and finished 5th in the standings. Things further took a turn in 2006—when Johnson took his first championship. What we saw next was five straight titles from 2006 to 2010, something we may never see again.

Fans finally understood what the guys in HMS had seen in Johnson all along. Sure, Johnson faced some major obstacles—like the backlash from fans who didn’t like Gordon so did not like his protege either. But instead of crumbling under the pressure, your favorite, Jimmie used that negativity to fuel his drive. And it worked.

Fast forward, and JJ’s legacy speaks for itself. His success isn’t just about raw talent—it’s also about the trust and vision of HMS and, of course, Chevrolet. Their belief in him set the stage for everything that followed. In return, Jimmie helped Hendrick Motorsports and Chevy become even more dominant in the sport. From 5 championships, he took the team to 12, contributing 83 Cup Series wins to Hendrick’s total of 300+.

At the end of the day, Jimmie Johnson’s rise wasn’t just about what he could do behind the wheel—it was about the people who saw something special in him when no one else did.

📰 Lucky Dog's Recommended Reads

  1. Racing Community Mourns Late Model Racer’s Passing on Christmas - Full Story

  2. Toyota Feeling the Pressure as Bankruptcy Drama Unfolds For One of Its Competitors - Full Story

  3. Christmas Chaos at the Busch House - Full Story

  4. Natalie Decker Stuns Fans with Heartwarming Christmas Reveal - Full Story

  5. William Byron Backs NASCAR Partner’s $60K ‘Class Act’ - Full Story

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