I, your friendly blog editor, will be away on vacation for the rest of the week - have a safe and spooktacular Halloween, and I'll see you on Monday.

Last week, Community Tire Pros broke ground on their new Community Salsa Garden project.   According to their website, Community Tire Garden is focused on providing a neighborhood salsa garden and educating about the love of Mother nature and all she has to offer in the "Joy of Gardening!"  The site will also feature education, on-site cooking Chefs, seasonal events, creative recycled Tire art, fun kid projects and more.  Check out the video of the groundbreaking, and be sure to visit if you're in the area.  Congrats, Community Tire team!

 

For my first ever car media launch experience, Buick and AskPatty invited me to Louisville, Kentucky to see the unveiling of the new and improved Buick Enclave and the brand new Buick Verano Turbo.

Let’s just say that if all launches are like this, I sure hope I get invited to many more. Everything about this event was organized and professional. From the travel arrangements to the accommodations to the presentations, it was all “First Class”. There were about 24 or so media members including me at this particular event. It was a two day event but really they get everything in in about a 24 hour time period. The hotel, the 21c Museum Hotel they chose was very artsy and modern. The lobby and main floor consisted of one art gallery after another. A really neat concept. The hotel was located in the heart of downtown Louisville just a block or two from the famous Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory. (So of course I ran down there to fill my Louisville touristy obligations  )

This is the new Honda Fit She's.  It's a "special edition" of the popular Honda model that is aimed exclusively - you guessed it - at women.  Now, this isn't exactly a new idea - "womens' models" of cars have existed since the automobile, the earliest examples being those in the early 20th century that boasted no hand-crank starting.  Other attempts include the 1950's Dodge LaFemme, and more recently a 2000 Ford Windstar concept (developed with Maytag no less) that included appliances like a microwave and even a washer/dryer in the rear hatch - I suppose so that the mom on the go would never have to leave her "duties" behind.  Yeah, I know.

I'd like to think that these laughable (we have to laugh rather than be offended, right?) efforts were a thing of the past - that we've moved beyond the silly idea that women need some sort of pink plastic Barbie Dream Corvette to truly be happy - but, alas, then a story like the Fit She's comes along.  Let's take a look at this "adult cute" makeover of the popular Fit, shall we?

First of all - and this surprises no one - it's pink.  Pink, pink, pink.  It has a pink exterior, pink details on the dashboard and console, even pink stitching in the seats and on the steering wheel.  To plagarize Steel Magnolias, the thing "looks like it's been hosed down with Pepto Bismol."  Well, some girls like pink - that's true, and fair enough.  I don't mind it myself.  But when the first step you take when designing a car with women in mind is to make it pink, well... it shows a pretty profound lack of understanding.

This is a must check out for any Kasey Kahne fan and also a must check out for anyone who is looking to drive a new Chevorlet!

NASCAR supserstar Kasey Kahne, Hendrickcars.com and Farmers Insurance have teamed up to give one lucky individual $35.000 towards a new Chevrolet. This event is called “Farmers Insurance Start Your Engines Sweepstakes”. The contest runs for 8 weeks and ends on November 15^th.

Having raced for Kasey Kahne a few years back in my racing career and also having been a teammate of his, I know this event will not disappoint. Just by entering, everyone who enters will unlock six “hilarious” never seen before videos of Kasey. I am sure some of you have seen some of Kasey’s acting in years past in national television ads. His shy quiet demeanor and good looks make for a great combination.

Hendrickcar.com is one of the largest online retailers for used cars. They have at any given time up to 5000 cars from their network of Hendrick car dealerships. Mr. Hendrick who is the man behind the car dealerships as well as the NASCAR team Kasey drives for, is an incredible person and business man who does everything first class. I could almost guarantee the winner(s) of these sweepstakes will be treated above and beyond their expectations!

To enter these sweepstakes just go to the Famers Racing Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/FarmersRacing/app_429711717063856) and select a key. Every player can enter once a day, every day. Just by entering you not only get to unlock the funny videos, but you also have the chance to win an instant prize of either a $25 or $50 gift certificate god towards Kasey Kahne souvenirs at the NASCAR.com superstore.

I know I am going to enter just to check out the “hilarious” videos of KK and of course at a shot to win lots of money to put towards a new Chevy!

For a better explanation of how these sweepstakes work, Kasey and Farmers Insurance have made a promotional video. Check it out at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2gKEcZtj4U.

Good luck!

 

Erin Evernham Contributor

San Francisco, California: It’s been on sale since July in 18 metro markets with success that has outpaced expectations and General Motors has now ordered more from Korea, where it is produced, to meet the increased demand. It is the new 2013 Chevy Spark, brought to the U.S. to join the ever-growing list of micro-compact cars now available in America. This little wedge of a four-seater has a sporty look, with more cargo room than you might expect from a mini machine. With a MSRP that starts at $12,995, Chevy hoped this new model that has sold in global markets since 2009 would ignite its home market—and it already has!

While many come to San Francisco for the charm of its cable
cars, Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf, souvenir shops in Chinatown and the beautiful Victorian architecture in Haight-Ashbury, a group of autowriters came to San Francisco recently to try out the new Chevy Spark in this upscale and trend-setting environment. We bunked in at the stately-but-not
precocious St. Regis Hotel and, while north of the city for our drive day, we enjoyed the Hilltop 1892 as our lunch and jumping-off point to drive the Spark.

The next big name in automobiles may not be an American, or Japanese, or even German or Italian: Believe it or not, India is poised to change the face of the US Auto Industry with the introduction of the Tata Nano to the US Market.

For those who don't know, the Nano is an adorable, no-frills, egg-shaped four seater car introduced in India in 2009 as an alternative to scooters and other super-efficient means of transportation.  It's known as the "World's Cheapest Car," and to say that it's bare-bones is an understatement:  it boasts a 4-gallon tank, a top speed of 65mph, about 3 cubic feet of storage space, and its major advertised features include "headrests" and an interior fuel warning light.  But with simple features comes a simple price tag.  In 2009 it was introduced with an unbelievable price of $2500.

The rest of the world is definitely taking notice of the little Nano that could - I learned about this adorable car from Live with Kelly & Michael, and have since learned that auto aficionado Jay Leno has already snagged one of the Indian models for his car collection.

The Nano will certainly undergo a bit of a redesign before it hits the US market, and those vital statistics seem certain to improve.  Also being added are power steering, traction control, and some other bells and whistles missing from the base model in India - AC and Heating come to mind.  All these improvements will raise the price a bit, of course, but the plan is for the Nano to hit the US market in 2013 with a price of about $8000.  That would make it the cheapest car on the market, and if it's done right, it could change the face of the industry.

The Nano is being redesigned for the European market as well.  I think they're adorable, and moreover, I think the US is ready for a new wave of super-economical automobiles.  India isn't the first nation to be experimenting with this concept - China boasts super-affordable cars with some pretty cool features, and in Japan, Nissan is reintroducing the Datsun brand, as a line of low-cost autos poised to retail for around $3000 in Asia.  I'm watching these sagas, and the Nano's, very closely, so keep an eye here for updates.

Have a great weekend, and TTFN:  tata for nano!  (I couldn't resist.)

Kaeli Gardner AskPatty.com

To make a long story short, I went to PRI (Performance Racing Industry) in 2007 and realized that if I wanted a life in motorsports… I had a very long way to go since I didn’t grow up with a racing background. My father had me work the room exchanging as many business cards as I could but most importantly making a real connection with motorsports professionals. No one, and I mean no one, wanted to speak with me and I was a fairly confident young girl! Then I began to realize that maybe it was because I was a girl that no one wanted to talk to me? Needless to say, the first day of the convention was terrible for me. The last two days I adopted a new communication style. I patiently waited for someone’s attention and finally jumped in saying, “My name is Shea Holbrook, I’m a 16-year old aspiring female racecar driver. I’m going to be a pro one day so we should know each other. Here’s my business card.” The first time I did that my heart literally sank to my stomach! I got people’s attention and from there on in I realized that if I didn’t make an opportunity happen I would never make it in this industry.

Over the past few years I’ve come to realize how wonderful and passionate “racing” people are but also how cutthroat and demanding this industry can be. Racing has completely possessed every ounce of my body, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.