Arkansas women doubly proud of NASCAR race results

Danica Patrick at the premiere of Baby Mama in New York City at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)Mark Martin may be the man but Danica Patrick is the woman!

Not only did we women of Arkansas get to watch our native son, Mark Martin from Batesville, AR win the Sam's Town 300 at Las Vegas, but we watched Danica Patrick make NASCAR history.

Mark Martin brings it home

It was great to watch Mark Martin back in victory lane, a place he has been 95 times before.

His #32 Dollar General Chevy owned by Turner Motor Sports finished first at Las Vegas, ending a long winless streak. Martin hasn't won since 2009 at Phoenix. He went without a win during his entire 2010 season.

Martin was in the right place at the right time Saturday, as led only one lap during the race--the only one that really counts. Taking every advantage, he was nearly out of gas when he passed Brad Kezelowski, the race leader, who cut a tire, allowing Martin to cruise to victory.

It was a first win for Turner Motor Sports who enjoyed a good finish last week as well when Ryan Newman brought the #30 car home in fourth place.

And for the ladies, the big news of the day

Saturday's race has made history, as Danica Patrick, driver of the #7 GoDaddy Chevy, finished the race in fourth place. It is a career-best finish for her, and makes her the first woman driver in NASCAR ever to achieve such a finish.

Patrick broke a record that has stood since 1949 when Sara Christian came in fifth.

Patrick said she was secretly hoping for a finish in the top 10, but instead it was in the top five. In reality, what she really accomplished was a history-making fourth.

Tornados snacks, a great sponsor for Ryan Newman

A publicity tour, with a stop at the North Central Arkansas Speedway between Yellville and Flippin, AR on April 24, was to feature Ryan's #39 Chevy, along with samples of Ruiz Foods products. I was excited because this was pretty close to home.

Not only have I tried and liked Tornados snacks, but I was excited at the prospect of seeing Ryan's show car. I know this is a poor second to the real thing, but it is likely as close to his race car as I am going to get in the foreseeable future.

My husband and I got to the dirt track around 5 p.m. The event was supposed to be from 3 to 7. It was dead empty. We were very disappointed, but not surprised, since the weather had been pretty rainy in previous days. Storms threatened that morning as well, though never materialized. Disappointed, I wondered if rain really was the cause, so I emailed the track owners. Nice folks. They responded promptly that the show was canceled because of the weather.

I also emailed Ruiz Foods to ask the same question. They responded promptly also, apologizing for our trouble. Then yesterday, I received an envelope containing two 8 x 10 Ryan Newman cards, some coupons and collectible cards.

It is so refreshing when a company is responsive to its customers. It is also becoming rare, so I just thought I'd share.

Like just about everything associated with Ryan Newman, from his team, his family, his owner, and the passions of his life to name a few, his sponsor is quality as well.