Smoke Has Been Waxed!

Before I get into the main point of this post, I'd like to point out something that was brought to my attention earlier, which may be of relevance to some people. A reader called the ticket office today and passed along the info that Michigan's student section for the games at the Joe will be in Section 221 and the band will be in Section 217a. I hope this helps.

Also, Mike Spath reported from practice that Scooter Vaughan skated today and should be good to go this weekend. Also Matt Rust is expected to skate tomorrow, which is an exceptionally quick recovery from a fricken fractured leg bone. It would be big to have the two of them back this weekend, especially in light of Pacioretty's suspension.

But what I really want to talk about is an event that I'm surprised isn't receiving more pub because it was extremely funny and raised at least $125,000 for a great cause.

Last year, Tony Stewart made an agreement with Kevin Harvick that if Harvick could raise $100,000 for the Victory Junction Gang camp, Stewart would agree to get his body waxed. Apparently he's hairy along the lines of Andy in 40 Year Old Virgin.

The fans from Kevin Harvick's "Harvick Hotline" message board, myself included, pitched in and were able to come up with almost $40,000. Harvick kicked in the other $60,000 to fulfill the requirement of the deal. Stewart lived up to his end of the bargain, and tonight was the night that Smoke's back was waxed (ironic that Harvick would get to inflict pain on him a day after wrecking him in the Sprint Cup race).

They broadcast the event on Stewart's Sirius Radio show, which unfortunately I don't get. A fan at the Harvick Hotline provided a play-by-play, and even though the thread is long, it's worth a read because it's really funny. Harvick was supposed to be commentating, but spent most of the broadcast laughing hysterically.

Also, the 12-year-old son of Clint Bowyer's crew chief did a little pit reporting this weekend and asked a variety of drivers about their thoughts on the event--if Stewart would cry, how much weight he would lose from all that hair being gone, and how much they'd pay to rip off one of the strips. Jimmy Johnson replied to the last question by saying that he would be unavailable today but that he would donate $10,000 if the 12-year-old could rip off a strip. Additionally, JD Gibbs kicked in $15,000 to have the back of Stewart's neck waxed.

I think Stewart is a complete douche bag for the things he says to the media, the way he is the first to blame and the last to admit fault, and generally the way he treats people at the track. I didn't post about this, but the things he said about Goodyear were completely over the line for a variety of reasons. He went completely overboard on that one. That said, I will admit that he doesn't get nearly enough credit for all the money he donates and the things he does for charity. This is one of those times. He deserves a lot of credit for manning up and agreeing to get his back waxed to raise that much money for a great cause. And for being a good sport and broadcasting it to boot.

Originally Stewart had said that if Harvick forced him to get his back waxed, that he would kick in $100,000 of his own money to force Harvick to shave his head. No word on if that's still on the docket. I would imagine after the wreck yesterday and the wax job tonight, the Victory Junction Gang might be getting yet another huge check in the near future. I'm just happy that I could contribute to the fund, and play a small role in inflicting some pain on Tony Stewart.