Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Mudpie 500 Zoomies Event Wrap Up

Meows from Mudpie!

Many thanks to all of you who participated in my annual Mudpie 500 Zoomies Event for our four-legged friends, and now it's time to announce the winner! 

Michael McDowell won the race, but sadly no one chose the 34 car. The second place car was driven by Chase Elliott, who was chosen by...

*drumroll please*

Four paws up to our sweet friends at the Four-Legged Furballs blog! Keep an eye on your inbox for a gift card from us.

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Speaking of NASCAR, Mommy asked me to tell you the story of how she became such a huge NASCAR, and in particular, Kevin Harvick fan. 

20 years ago tomorrow Dale Earnhardt was killed on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. Mommy had never watched a NASCAR race but of course she knew who Dale was and that his tragic death was a very big deal. Still she was surprised by the outpouring of grief she witnessed on the news and tuned in the following week to see how NASCAR would carry on without him.

A young driver named Kevin Harvick was placed in Dale's car and finished 14th in his debut Cup race. He won for the first time in only his 3rd start in a thrilling battle with Jeff Gordon, and by that time not only was Mommy hooked on NASCAR, she had chosen *her* driver. 

20 years later Mommy is still cheering Kevin on each week and has watched every one of his 58 Cup wins, putting him 9th on the all-time win list. His current 3 year contract will likely be his last and once he retires we probably won't be tuning in as religiously. NASCAR isn't changing for the better any more than country music is, and there just isn't anyone else on the track that excites us the way Kevin does.

18 comments:

Summer at sparklecat.com said...

Congratulations to the Four Legged Furballs!

The Menagerie Mom said...

Oh my goodness, we're so excited to have won! Thank you so much, Mudpie and Melissa! And I really enjoyed learning about how you became a NASCAR fan. It's interesting, because I watched NASCAR races all the time as a kid with my dad, but both my Dad and myself slowly stopped watching after Dale Earnhardt's fatal crash. I think seeing that moment made us a bit nervous to watch the races. NASCAR still holds a special place in my heart, though, and I still catch snippets of the races here and there. Purrs to you!

Lone Star Cats said...

Congrats to the to the Four Legged Furballs!

M Dawson said...

YEAH!! Go Furballs and conCATulations!!!

Mickey's Musings said...

Congrats to the winners... the Furballs!!!!!
Purrs, Julie

Momma Kat and Her Bear Cat (Katherine Kern) said...

Mudpie, has anyone told you how adorable you are? Yeah. That's what I thought ... like 100 times a day!

The Island Cats said...

Congrats to the Furballs!

Patricia T said...

Congratulations to the Furballs! Interesting story about NASCAR, Melissa.

Catscue Cat Mom said...

Congratulations Four Legged Fur Balls! That race ending was unreal, no one could have guessed the winner!

Sandee said...

Congratulations on the winner. That rocks.

We don't have television so we don't watch anything but Netflix and Amazon Prime. Sports isn't something that either of us get into, but I do remember that horrible crash that took Dale's life.

Have a fabulous day. ♥

Eastside Cats said...

I was always a Jeff Gordon fan. Over the years, I'll catch a bit of a race here or there, but it's not the same once your favorite isn't there.

Brian's Home Blog said...

That was a tough race, especially near the end!

ANGEL ABBYGRACE said...

That is a great story about how you became a NASCAR fan. Sad to say that sports in general has evolved in a way that takes away from the joy of watching, so I understand your feelings. Sad too about C/W music. :(

pilch92 said...

That was quite the race. Congrats to Lorianne! Interesting story about how you became a fan. I just assumed your Dad was a fan. XO

Katie Isabella said...

I remember that well. And I was in Charlotte when his funeral took place. You should see the Church. I am always been a Jeff Gordon fan as well as Dale.

meowmeowmans said...

That's awesome! Congratulations to Mom Lorianne and the Furballs!

Marvelous Marv said...

Congratulations to the Four Legged Furballs! You guys are AWESOME!

Timmy Tomcat said...

Congratulations to the winners. What a race it was this year