With a mixture of both fond remembrance and a heavy heart, NASCAR fans the world over will honor the birthday of Dale Earnhardt, one of the most iconic members of the sport with celebrations and a Dale Jr.-raced paint scheme paying homage to his late father. As time goes on, the biggest tribute that Dale Earnhardt Jr. can pay to his father is to continue the winning tradition and new role as ambassador for the sport and role model to the younger drivers. Thanks for the memories Dale, and here's to the continuing legacy of the Earnhardt name!

Recognizing that women make up almost 50% of their fan base, NASCAR has made a concerted effort to cater to their purchasing power. Using data that says that 63% of women NASCAR fans would purchase more items if there were items aimed at women (and not just women's sizes in men's items), businesses like Track Couture, Genius Fashion, and Wilsons Leather are addressing the growing number of women NASCAR fans with their own goods. Bikini lingerie, high heels, and other more feminine items will be available soon trackside and online. RPM does not want to see any male fans in high heels...

The connection between church and NASCAR has been mentioned many times over the years, from the pre-race invocation to the fans almost religious passion for the sport. But one church is taking the connection one step further attempting to boost attendance by using the late Dale Earnhardt's popularity to get people to come to their church. Bayside Community Church in Florida brought Dale Earnhardt's No. 3 car and offered up souvenir photos for the faithful. The catch? Attendees have to show up the following week to pick up their photo. Normal attendance is about 1,100, but with a push of 40,000 flyers, radio and at-track advertising, Bayside expects to double to attendance. Now that's what I call creative advertising...

Usually the only magic you seen on race weekend is an unfortunate flat making a race leader disappear to the back of the pack. But with Sigfried and Roy prodigy Darren Romero's skills, Branson visitors will see him make Jeff Gordon's 24 car vanish before their eyes as part of the new "Two Men Living Their Dream" illusion. Could he possibly make it reappear in the winner's circle?

While Robby Gordon's 41st place finish at Phoenix may not be notable, his philanthropy in donating $20,000 to expand ASU's alcohol education program will go a long way to educating college students under Jim Beam's "drink smart responsibility" platform. Kudos to Robby and Jim Beam.

It comes as no surprise to RPM Blog that racing venues are selling trackside condos to wealthy racing fans. Hotels and condos are present in many other sports stadiums and NASCAR fans are passionate about racing. What could be better than watching the race from the comfort of your own luxury condo (actually, we would prefer to be down in the pits, but to each their own). Ranging in price from $400K-$4.5 million, condos have popped up at tracks like Atlanta and Las Vegas (and have drawn the journalistic interest of The New York Times). Perfect for entertaining corporate visitors or easing new viewers into the racing world, condos are sure to appeal to a wide range of homebuyers.

Race fans attending the annual All-Star race May 20th in Charlotte at Lowe's Motor Speedway will be greeted by the hard-rocking sounds of Train and The Red Hot Chili Peppers. Both acts have committed to playing short sets (and not surprisingly the RHCP are gearing up to promote a new album), as the mix of popular culture and NASCAR intersect once again. The event is being dubbed "Humpy-Palooza", affectionately named after Lowe's Motor Speedway President Humpy Wheeler. RPM Blog would pay big dollars to see Humpy on stage with Flea...

While none of the items in the Baltimore Sun article were surprising to RPM Blog (heck, most of them were announced to the masses here) it is good to see that the mainstream media continues to report on the value and overall curiosity of NASCAR product sponsorship and the loyal purchasing power of the NASCAR fan base. From the Harlequin books to the cologne, the Sun covers the wide array of NASCAR goods available to die-hard fans. And kudos to the writer for bringing up Racing Furntiure--I'm sitting on one of their limited edition Mark Martin chairs as I write...

Taking over duties formerly held by Chevrolet and Pontiac before it, spirit maker Diageo has offered up their Crown Royal brand as the sponsor of the May 6th race in Richmond, VA. The event will mark the 100th event at Richmond and will offer a chance to promote the "Be a Champion--Drink Responsibly" campaign of the popular whiskey company. It's good to see that NASCAR is relaxing the rules all the way around--it was less than two years ago that hard liquor was not allowed as a sponsor of America's sport. Raise a glass to NASCAR....

Unbeknownst to many except the most diehard of fans, new NASCAR superstar Carl Edwards was a former substitute teacher prior to driving the 99 car for Jack Roush. Being the good guy that he is known to be, Edwards has teamed up with the National PTAto encourage kids to excel in school. Edwards joins Kathy Ireland as a National Ambassador for Youth and will make public appearances to speak with kids across the nation ad encourage parents to participate in their kids education.

Few people today would mention NASCAR and the PBA in the same sentence and think that both were on equal footing in the sports and entertainment world. But given the popularity of bowling as a pastime (ask Scott Williams about HIS Sunday ritual), it would not be surprising that bowling could be the poker of 2006. An intruguing article in the Rockford Register delves into the histories of NASCAR and professional bowling, showing that 30 years ago, the sports shared quite a bit in common--with the edge going to bowling. Big stars, big fan base, key Saturday television slot--poised for the big time. If you see bowling reality shows popping up on Bravo, remember that RPM brought it to you first...

Showing time and again that charity is an important part of being a NASCAR star, 10 drivers including Kyle Petty, Matt Kenseth, and Jimmy Spencer will take part in a charity poker tournament prior to the Phoenix race on April 19th. Proceeds from the tournament will benefit The Victory Junction Gang Camp, an official NASCAR Foundation charity.

Shamu will be getting out of the pool for a few laps with driver Jimmy Johnson as the famous killer whale graces the #48 carfor the Pepsi 400 to promote the new Shamu show "Believe". Insert your own joke here...

Was NBC so stunned at the departure of Katie Couric that they needed to mire themselves in the trenches of sleazy tabloid journalism? For "research" on a recent piece on anti-Muslim sentiment in the United States, producers from the NBC show Dateline baited fans at Martinsville by sending Arab-looking men to the race to see fans reactions. To their credit, both NASCAR and their fans have resisted sensationalizing this gimmick, which may serve to be one of the most embarrassing for the network in some time.

Corporate sponsors of NASCAR will often roll the dice, hoping that the $15-20 million that they spend will pay off through increased exposure and increased sales. The big wigs at TI must be laughing all the way to the bank given their recent high profile as a rookie sponsor. Backed by Hall of Fame Racing's Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach, Tony Rains piloted the #96 car to a respectable 24 place finish in the Samsung/Radio Shack 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Promoting TI's DLP technology, the sponsor has gotten ink in publications ranging from Forbes to BusinessWeek...and even RPM Blog. Not too shabby for the new kid on the block.

Never shocked by NASCAR's ability to license its name to everything from romance novels to fruit, it comes as no surprise that NASCAR has authorized the use of its name in connection to meat. Hot dogs, deli meat, bacon, and smoked sausages--NASCAR fans love meat and NASCAR is banking on their love of meat and the sport to move units at your local grocery store. I can smell the NASCAR hot dogs on the grill now...

If your car engine will not start, NASCAR is encouraging you to donate the clunker to the NASCAR Foundation Vehicle Donation Program. Donating a car to the NASCAR Foundation is both tax-deductible and easy to do, simply by going online to their form.