The Road to Nowhere

TMS here I come!

Della — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 18:59:10 GMT

I have been so busy, it just ain't funny. Working at the station, working out and getting back into a running routine in preparation for a relay marathon in less than a month....the weather has been dismal lately...I yearn for the warm sunshine so I can take my running to the beach!

But it's here! It's finally here! It's the one weekend in the Spring that nothing will keep me from enjoying!

I am off to the track...Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth! Flying into DFW again this year rather than driving. Had a leftover airline ticket credit I was able to use! Woo hoo! The stars are shining on me!

I am really excited about the 24 team's performance over the last couple of races. Could the rear spoiler have something to do with it? With a 3 spot at Martinsville, a 2 spot in Phoenix....could we really see Jeff come in the #1 spot again at the Samsung 500 on Sunday?

I've been flying my #24 flag proudly!

I'll be covering the race as a photographer this year, so I am really excited to be able to get in there with the big guys and get some intimate shots...not that kind of intimate! My new camera really is awesome, and even though it isn't the big giant fancy Rebel XR's alot of the photogs use, I've gotten some really great action shots at area sporting events.

Now that I've met most of the drivers, I wanna focus on my photography of the sport. Seriously, even before the advent of the camera phone, I always lugged around a camera, for that "just in case" moment.

Which 3 drivers are on my short list of who I'd really like to meet?

I'd really like to meet Dale, Jr personally (not just on pit row in the throngs of fans and media) and shake his hand. Joey Logano is such a phenom and he has just started! Lastly, Kyle Busch.

I am so excited that Kasey Kahne is coming over to Hendrick. Count me in as one of those crazy gals that goes ga ga over his liquidy blue pool eyes! OMG! Only "my" Jimmeh has more beautiful eyes than KK!

Speculation is running rampant over who is going to be out at HMS in 2012. I think MM is ready to retire. I think JG could start his own team...could he take JJ with him? Maybe JJ and CK will venture out on their own? The majority of fans don't want to hear that Jr might be out. RH and DES were strong. Did RH slide into the mentoring father figure in Jr's life? One thing is for sure, loyalty and team ethic are valued at HMS and whatever happens, it will certainly be for the betterment of the team as a whole.

OMG! Jeff and the USA!!!

Della — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 23:09:00 GMT

I flipped back and forth like a crazy person between Las Vegas and the Hockey game on Sunday afternoon! Jeff was in the lead so I bounced over to the game...they were losing....and it looked grim...back to Nascar....just a quick look at hockey...and BAM! USA scores! Whoa!! I flip out again! Then we lose. Back to Nascar. TWO TIRES INSTEAD OF FOUR!!! STEVE!!!! Way to go Chad. I could feel the energy just sapping away from the 24 car....almost, so close, yet no cigar! Oh well. It's another win for HMS! Atlanta here we come!

The Road to Nowhere! Leads to Victory Lane!

Della — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 04:18:00 GMT

Welcome to TRTNW! In this blog you will find my thoughts on NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide and CWTS...and yes the occasional INDY races! Let''s go racing!

Dancing with an Indy 500 Star and more...

Della — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 03:59:00 GMT

MY LIFE IS SO GREAT! ONE YEAR AGO, I NEVER THOUGHT I COULD BE SO HAPPY! I LOVE MY LIFE! I LOVE ME! I LOVE MY CHILDREN, MY FRIENDS, (MOST OF) MY FAMILY, MY LISTENERS AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, GOD FOR GIVING ME THE CHANCE TO DO WHAT I LOVE TO DO EVERY DAY! I AM SO BLESSED!

Oh yeah baby! That's me! Della Adame WITH DANCING WITH THE STARS CHAMPION AND INDY 500 CHAMPION HELIO CASTRONEVES!! Here's the best part: I asked him (jokingly) if he wanted to dance...AND HE TWIRLED ME AROUND ON PIT ROW!!! OMG!!! Then we stopped and took this picture...and he gave me a thumbs up! Having not danced with anyone but my now ex-husband for the last 13 years...it really felt great to take a spin with this Brazilian babe!! Helio went on to win the IRL race at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday (6/6/09)...probably because dancing with me gave him good luck! (Just like my kissing Jeff Gordon before his first TMS win last April!!)

I must admit, I didn't think that my day could possibly get any better...but it did get better when I got to meet and talk with none other than DARIO FRANCHITTI, INDY CHAMP and husband to Ashley Judd! I got so many great pics of him during qualifying! He kept gazing over in my direction so I just snapped away. When he finished his interview with the SPEED Channel rep, another guy stepped in front of him and he told the guy to hold on a minute and then moved him out of the way and came over to where I was standing!!!! I was smiling like a cheshire cat at that point. We shook hands, I introduced myself to him and he gave me a hug, told me I had a pretty smile (THANK YOU BLEACH BRIGHT OF CORPUS CHRISTI!!) and posed for this picture! This dude is so gorgeous! I didn't see Ashley anywhere and didn't go in for a kiss (like I did with Jeff Gordon)--didn't want her going all Faith Hill on me!

The view from the Grandstands at TMS! That's pit row right behind the infield logo.

I am so short (5'3 3/4") that I got to stand on the top photographers row in Victory Lane and managed to snap this shot with my Blackberry camera as Helio raised the trophy! Perfect timing! I was standing next to AP, Fox and ESPN photogs!! I took over 400 pics with the Blackberry cam! My Cybershot camera battery died just as he rolled into Victory Lane...

Here is a close up shot of the gorgeous crystal trophy! It was on display in the media center all week! YES! I touched it! But no one saw me do it!

Helio signed autographs for fans as he exited his hauler rig in the garage area and made his wayover to the grandstands for the driver introductions, as you can tell, the fans are in FRONT of him, while I am on HIS side of the barricade!

Hell, I almost forgot! I got to meet Shaquille O'Neal too! He was there to utter "Gentlemen, start your engines! Again, I am very small. I think I came up to Shaq's bellybutton! He is HUGE!! His hand is almost three of my hands across!

My trip to TMS would not have been complete without reliving some of my April memories with Jeff Gordon!! I snapped a picture of my own grafitti on the Barr Tunnel (it goes from the grandstands underneath the track and into the infield) wall! Yep, it's still there!

Of course I just HAD to get into one of the Indy cars and pretend I was a driver! Unfortunately, if I had gotten in all the way and leaned back into the seat, I would have disappeared into the car!!

Picking up my media creds! I get so excited about having this wonderful privilege...and what a PERK it is!

There's a winners wall in the media center, where Jeff's name has been added as the Samsung 500 winner from April, I just had to get a pic of me next to his name on that wall! In November, I'll get a pick next to the Victory Lane wall that has his name on it...and maybe Jeff will be standing next to me!!!! Ya never know!

Things are quite different with the Indy races. For one thing, the dress code is totally off the hook! Seriously, shorts, flip flops, bikini tops...the Pit Lizards are out and about in all their glory! I have to say that I initially showed up in NASCAR mode, jeans, closed toed shoes, etc...even though my ex-hubs Rick said I could wear shorts...I didn't want to take a chance, so I took a change of clothes and shoes..and thank goodness I did! IT WAS FREAKING HOT! In April we were freezing in the morning and sweating by the afternoon. In June, I lasted all of an hour in my jeans and then changed into my shorts and I was representing!!! Corpus Christi Hooks flip flops, khaki shorts and a HOWDY Y'ALL KFTX T-shirt!! (Oh yeah, the tanned legs are really starting to look good thanks to my running!)

This WAS a perfect weekend!

I met alot of people in my industry this weekend and they were all so nice and showed me "the ropes" since it is only the second time I have covered a race. I also met alot of folks in the racing community who are movers and shakers...always a good thing...never know when you are gonna need a sponsor for something!!

I wanna get a NASCAR hard card..../

It started out great too thanks to Mark! We actually got to hang out together at BSIH and then he took me to the beach...our favorite place! It was a perfect night and there was a ring around the moon. We had fire going on the beach too! I just loved how he said he wanted to send me off on my big weekend in a happy mood! (Long, long story that has to do with B2B!)

(I can hardly wait for THIS weekend coming up! Mark has agreed to go to the Kevin Fowler concert at Concrete Street with me y'all! Am I gonna need a back up date? Again, a very long story that has to do with B2B.)

I had dinner with my one of my best friends, Deb, at Joe T. Garcia's in Fort Worth...yumola!! I went to Billy Bob's...my son Nicky had fun and hung out with his sister Ricki...I spent a great weekend with my ex-hubs and his wife Hope, whom I absolutely adore for being such a phenomenal woman! (and here I thought I was the only one like that! LOL!) I spoke with my oldest sister Hope but didn't get chance to make it out to Grand Prairie this trip...but we plan on spending one whole day together next time and having a family cookout!

I am really starting to learn my way around DFW. I'm not afraid to hit the tollways and parkways anymore...of course it helps that my ex-husband is like a human Tom-Tom and can tell me exactly how to get where I need to go from memory!! Amazing! He is so much like my Daddy was in that respect...and others too...but we won't go into that!

The only thing that would have made it better? Jeff finishing 1st at Pocono instead of Tony...oh, well, I'll take a top five finish over a DNF anytime!! THANK GOODNESS FOR THE BLACKBERRY VERSION OF NASCAR.COM! Lap by lap coverage! We aren't that far from the lead...but damn, Tony is using Hendrick engines...and he's beating our drivers, what's up with that?

Somebody's got some 'splainin to do!!!

What a weekend!!!!!

Della — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 19:25:00 GMT

I'm back!!!

Della — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 18:56:00 GMT

OMG! I just had to unlock the blog and get my life back on the interweb!

Dudes! Hold onto your hats cuz I have just had the weekend of my life!!!!

It'll take me awhile to get everything written and pics posted cuz I am still flying high!

Stay tuned!