NASCAR Hall of Fame gets approval for four companies to produce exhibits - Week 1

• April 14, 2009
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Charlotte City Council unanimously approved $17.7 million worth of contracts Monday night for four companies to produce exhibits for the NASCAR Hall of Fame. The city owns the hall of fame under a licensing agreement with NASCAR, and all contracts must be approved by the council. The total exhibit budget is $31 million. The contracts, which were negotiated by executives in the city manager’s office and the hall, were approved without debate. Kubik Maltbie will be the primary fabricator and installer of all exhibits. Its contract, including $1 million in contingency fees, is $9,991,527. Kubik Maltbie’s original asking price was just over $11 million before negotiations with the city. The firm’s past work includes projects at the Smithsonian Institution and the Countr …continue reading

Jimmie Johnson considers Tony Stewart one of season's biggest surprises - Week 2

• March 20, 2009
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BRISTOL, Tenn. – When Jimmie Johnson reflects on the first four races of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, he’s a little surprised by some drivers’ early success and others’ lack of it. Johnson has been particularly surprised by the effort of the No. 14 team of Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner/driver Tony Stewart. Stewart spent his first 10 Cup seasons at Joe Gibbs Racing, where he won 33 races and two championships. He assumed the reins of an organization that prior to this year struggled just to field competitive cars. But thanks to a trio of eighth-place finishes, Stewart is sixth in the standings and appears to have a legitimate shot at making the 12-driver field that will take part in the Chase For The Sprint Cup to decide this year’s champion. “I …continue reading

Fan columnist: Heading to Homestead-Miami Speedway for Cup finale - Week 3

• November 13, 2008
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COMMENTARY As if we had any doubts, Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 48 team of Jimmie Johnson went to Phoenix and laid to rest the championship. It’s amazing, but Jeff Gordon may win more championships as an owner than as a driver. No one would have thought that seven years ago. When crew chief Chad Knaus was interviewed after the race, you could just tell he had a total understanding of how the race played out. He exhibited complete control. You have to believe Johnson and Knaus would be successful paired up in any venture or circumstance. I could see the duo raising venture capital in a board room, designing a new pump to extract waste from a port-a-potty in record time or as partners on "Dancing With The Stars." Here in Bolingbrook, Ill., the last 35 or so laps of t …continue reading

Fan columnist: There's nothing like seeing a race in person - Week 4

• November 6, 2008
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Carl Edwards left Atlanta and experienced déjà vu at the Texas Motor Speedway, making a dent in the championship point totals with his back-to-back wins. Jimmie Johnson’s lead is going to be hard to overcome, especially since the next stop on the circuit is Phoenix International Raceway. Johnson has won the last two races at Phoenix. Phoenix International Raceway is one of the most scenic race tracks I’ve been to. The mountains set a beautiful backdrop for the track. Tailgating in the dirt parking lot gets a bit dusty; keep plenty of beverages on hand. It is also unique to see fans out on Rattlesnake Hill watching the race. Going to a NASCAR race is the best. Attending a race is where someone becomes a NASCAR fan. The camaraderie, the deep, bone-rattling noise …continue reading

Fan columnist: NASCAT keeps race fan purring - Week 5

• October 30, 2008
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The entire middle portion of the Pep Boys Auto 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway was dominated by Matt Kenseth. This led my wife, Tara, and our cat, Monomer, to take a little nap at this point in the race. Let me tell you about our NASCAT. Monomer (it’s a chemistry term I picked up on somehow) is just shy of 20 pounds, has long khaki-colored hair and loves watching NASCAR. By watching NASCAR, I, of course, mean that he loves sleeping on one of us during the entire race. Affectionately known as “Big M,” both he and Tara often take midrace naps together until I see a close call like this weekend and yell, “Waltrip’s wrecking again!” At that point Tara and Monomer open their eyes for a moment to see a replay of Michael Waltrip’s car spraying tire con …continue reading

Fan columnist: NASCAR needs to promote races, not championship - Week 6

• October 23, 2008
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The core of NASCAR is the race itself. Not the first 26 or the last 10, but that one race a person attends each year. Being at the race track is how a person becomes a NASCAR fan. Once you are familiar with who the drivers are inside the cars, it becomes very interesting. Kevin Harvick doesn’t care if you’re a rookie or old-time veteran, he will call you out. Ryan Newman does not roll over and let anyone pass; you have to earn it. Tony Stewart is 100 percent charitable off the track, but in that car he is 100 percent animal. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is extremely cool. When Junior speaks, you can’t help but believe him. He’s been in front of the camera for his whole life. He comes across as very honest and sincere. This is why I was completely shocked by Junior’s co …continue reading

Fan columnist: Sometimes life interferes with NASCAR lifestyle - Week 7

• October 16, 2008
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Have you ever had to miss a race? It is an unavoidable inconvenience. Some inconsiderate cousin or friend plans a graduation party or baby shower during the race. Take Memorial Day weekend, for example. That is prime wedding time. I think I’ve only seen the Coca-Cola 600 live on television once. Don’t they have the race dates written in their calendar like I do? Unfortunately, that’s life. You have to miss a race every once in a while. I have Direct TV DVR; I’ll record the race and then watch it later that night or the next day. One thing I cannot find out though is – who won the race. Do not tell me, do not hint. Let me watch it. Knowing who won the race makes watching the race a lot less fun. But avoiding knowing who won is difficult. A person can’t …continue reading

Fan columnist: What happened to mustaches on NASCAR drivers? - Week 8

• October 9, 2008
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After watching the Cubs choke like Kyle Busch in their first three playoff games, I needed something to distract my mind. I was standing outside my garage Sunday morning thinking about how I was going to turn a pile of red landscaping bricks into a NASCAR mini-golf course on my driveway when it occurred to me I should try to grow a cool 1980s-era NASCAR mustache. I tried to pull off a mustache back in 2006 as part of a pirate Halloween costume. Problem was, my facial hair comes in light, and it just didn’t have the fullness I was seeking. It ended up looking like a caterpillar had died on my face. Instead of shaving it, I went ahead and allowed a full beard to grow in. Tara and I attended the Phoenix race in November that year, and my photos show me with the pathetic semi-goatee. N …continue reading

Fan columnist: Living the NASCAR life one race at a time - Week 9

• October 2, 2008
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It’s funny how NASCAR creeps into a fan’s life. I ran a 5K race early Sunday morning. One thousand racers were there, so the sense of racing in a pack the way drivers do at Talladega was prevalent. My number was 810. The race was only one lap. This particular track was a road course. It had both lefts and rights - it even ran through a school parking lot. The race name even had a sponsor, a hospital. Right away some guy tried to run me to the apron in Turn 3, but I stayed my line. My groove is the inside; it’s the shortest way around. When it comes to these races, I’m like Robby Gordon in the sense that I infrequently pass anyone and am probably causing wrecks behind me. As I made a rare pass on a fellow runner, I could hear my spotter calmly saying, “Inside& …continue reading

Fan columnist: Dover Chase race was riveting - Week 10

• September 25, 2008
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Why are we NASCAR fans? Anyone who watched the Dover race would know why. The last 25 laps of the Dover race, with three Roush Fenway Racing drivers duking it, out was simply incredible. Twice, on the track, the third-place car went to first place in a single pass. That is awesome! Even if your favorite driver wasn’t battling for the lead, you had to feel nervous for the three drivers who were. You could feel the tension while Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards all raced for the lead. I didn’t think anything could top the Cubs clinching the National League Central division this weekend, but, holy cow, this race was fun to watch. We were due for a good race. The fans needed a good race. After the humongous mess that was the Brickyard, a sentiment started up that the r …continue reading

Fan columnist: Chase shakeup adds excitement - Week 11

• September 18, 2008
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COMMENTARY I was up early last Sunday to create a new batch of homebrew before the start of the New Hampshire race. I make eight to 12 batches of beer a year, but my summer schedule has been busy, and it’s been awhile. I did my pre-brew check list, tweaked and cleaned my equipment and started a batch of India Pale Ale. I caught the prerace show on the radio and pushed hard to finish in time for the national anthems. The Chase For The Sprint Cup has started brewing, too. Kyle Busch guzzled up eight wins already this year and was the clear favorite prior to the start of the first Chase race. His No. 18 team showed championship potential at Richmond by finishing 15th after being spun by Dale Earnhardt Jr. How Jimmie Johnson champion-like in nature. New Hampshire Motor Speedway genera …continue reading

Fan columnist: Rain delays hamper NASCAR's fan base - Week 12

• September 11, 2008
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COMMENTARY Thanks for checking out my column. Over the next 10 weeks, as the Chase For The Sprint Cup progresses, I will be offering my point of view, observations and anecdotes about anything NASCAR. I live in a southwestern suburb of Chicago and have been attending NASCAR races since 2001. I live semi-close to the Chicagoland Speedway, but my wife, Tara, and I try to seek out a new NASCAR track each year. Last week's race at Richmond was moved from Saturday night to Sunday afternoon because of Tropical Storm Hanna, and I think rain is one of the primary things keeping NASCAR from becoming the largest sport in the country. Other sports, like football, can be played in the rain, while hockey and basketball take place indoors. Baseball simply has another game the next day. If a casual f …continue reading

Calvin Rowland

Bolingbrook, IL

Fan Columnist Bio

Calvin Rowland has been an enthusiastic NASCAR fan since 2001. He and his wife, Tara, love to travel to different NASCAR tracks and have seen Cup events at eight different facilities. Calvin, who is originally from New Windsor, Ill., and currently resides in Bolingbrook, Ill., works in the operations department of a securities broker-dealer.