The past few years, I've compiled an iPod playlist for the Charlotte race weekend tailgating crew. Some songs have tenure on the playlist. Their sequencing may change, but their presence is guaranteed. Others come and go - maybe a one and done while others make it a couple of visits before being shelved.
Historically, I tried to stock the playlist with race-related or beer-drinking tunes. One principle I've tried to stick to when adding either category is to include a bunch of artists that are unfamiliar to folks. Aside from racing, the hobby I enjoy most is finding new artists and songs. Whether the singer/band is brand new or one who I'm late in finding doesn't matter. So a fun thing for me to do is then share them with our race crew.
Last year, however, I had 2 requests. One, add more songs so we don't end up repeating the playlist as often. Two, add more sho-nuff, old-school, hard-core country. I didn't have a problem with either request. So for 2011, I doubled the number of songs and added a heavy dose of the best Nashville used to offer.
Here's what I've rolling this year - with a handful of links to YouTube vids/songs:
1. Schaefer Beer jingle song *
2. Bristol Nights - Whiskey Falls
3. Drinkin' Bone - Tracy Byrd #
4. Go Faster - Black Crowes *
5. Pocono Joe - Mark Miklos (YT)
6. Drinkin' My Baby Goodbye - The Charlie Daniels Band #
7. Tailgate Party - Whiskey Falls
8. Cold Beer - Colt Ford
9. White Liar - Miranda Lambert
10. Oh Atlanta - Little Feat #
11. Drunk All Around This Town - Scott Miller & The Commonwealth
12. 99 Bottles - Zane Williams # (YT)
13. Barlight - Bruce Robinson/Charlie Robinson/Jack Ingram
14. Left Y'all In The Dust (NASCAR song) - Colt Ford
15. Bar Exam - The Derailers
16. Whole Lotta Liquor To Like Her - Pete Schlegel *
17. Yes To Booty - Elizabeth Cook # (YT)
18. I Came To Drink - Chance
19. Indianapolis - The Bottle Rockets #
20. Don't Touch My Willie - Kevin Fowler # (YT)
21. Solid Gone - Stoney LaRue #
22. One Bud Wiser - John Rich
23. Talladega Shuffle - The Backstretch Boys
24. The Skilled 43 - Crew Chiefs
25. Honey Bee - Blake Shelton #
26. Chug-A-Lug - Roger Miller #
27. I Ain't Drinkin Anymore - Kevin Fowler #
28. White Trash Girl - Dave Hole #
29. 20th Century Drifter - Marty Robbins # (YT)
30. Tide & Skittles - Tim Wilson
31. NASCAR Superstar - Haven Quint
32. Out Behind The Barn - Little Jimmy Dickens #
33. I'm Here For The Party - Gretchen Wilson
34. Karaoke Cowboy - Adam Carroll #
35. Dirt Road Anthem - Jason Aldean #
36. I'm No Stanger To The Rain - Keith Whitley #
37. I Like Beer - Tom T. Hall # (YT)
38. Walk Away - Stoney LaRue
39. The Talladega Song - Tim Wilson *
40. Act Naturally - Buck Owens
41. Barefoot Blue Jean Night - Jake Owen #
42. Jambalaya on the Bayou - Hank Williams #
43. Down In Flames - Stoney LaRue
44. Earnhardt - Tim Wilson *
45. Rednecks White Socks And Blue Ribbon Beer - Johnny Russell
46. Black Betty - Ram Jam
47. Hell Yeah - Montgomery Gentry
48. Girl with the Biggest Hair - Red Meat
49. Down in Hueytown - Hank Williams Jr. #
50. Time To Switch To Whiskey - Corb Lund
51. Richard Petty Blues - Al Tackett *
52. Back Where I Come From - Kenny Chesney
53. Thunderstruck - AC/DC *
54. Call Me the Breeze - Lynyrd Skynyrd
55. Steve McQueen - Sheryl Crow
56. Darlington - Ron Pestana
57. Dale Darrell Waltrip Richard Petty… - Tim Wilson *
58. You Wreck Me - Tom Petty *
59. I Love My NASCAR Weekends - J-Henry #
60. Tulsa Time - Don Williams #
61. Chicks Dig It - Chris Cagle
62. Jeff Gordon's Gay - Tim Wilson *
63. I Love NASCAR - Cledus T. Judd *
64. Sell a Lot of Beer - The Warren Brothers
65. Thank God for Beer - Buck T Edwards #
66. Beer Beer Beer (YOB mix) - Youth of Britain #
67. American Redneck - Lee Roy Mercer w/Cattleaxe #
68. Darlington County - Bruce Springsteen #
69. Beer Season - Kevin Fowler #
70. Five O'Clock 500 - Alabama
71. The Ward Burton Train - Tim Wilson
72. What Was I Thinkin' - Dierks Bentley *
73. The Girls All Get Prettier at Closing Time - Mickey Gilley
74. Simple Man - Lynyrd Skynyrd
* Permanent playlisted tracks
# Rookie tracks for 2011
TMC
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
Pre-race Checklist
With 2011 being the 20th Annual Schaefer Schelebration Schindig, its incumbent upon the Schaefer Hall of Fame to step up and make sure we've got everything packed and ready to go. For my part, once I leave the Volunteer State Friday and head for Charlotte, there will be no turning back. So let's see. Have I got it all?
Schaefer tray for serving snacks - check
Schaefer bucket for cold beer photo-ops, tips, donations for disabled kids ... old people ... veterans ... starving folks in third world countries ... TMC gas money - check
Schaefer koozie - check
Picture of Wendell Scott enjoying a Schaefer - check
Schaefer banner for Uncle D. - check
Schaefer sign - check
Schaefer car - check
Let's see, is that it? Oh, wait! Can't forget about these.
Schaefer lanyard to hold race ticket and open beer bottles - check
Schaefer decals to award to all who choose to participate in Schaefapalooza - check
Rendering of Joe Ruttman's Schaefer-sponsored Pontiac from 1989 Daytona 500 - check
Use courtesy of 'cerealisamazing' from Sim Racing Design
Fantastic work!
And an autographed photo of the real car - check
Schaefer inflatable can - check
Schaefer Hall of Fame shirt and custom-made hat - check
Schaefer buttons (new for 2011) - check
iPod ... with Schaefer jingle theme song on the playlist - check
OK, I'm good. Out. Go.
TMC
Schaefer tray for serving snacks - check
Schaefer bucket for cold beer photo-ops, tips, donations for 
Schaefer koozie - check
Picture of Wendell Scott enjoying a Schaefer - check
Schaefer banner for Uncle D. - check
Schaefer sign - check
Schaefer car - check
Let's see, is that it? Oh, wait! Can't forget about these.Schaefer lanyard to hold race ticket and open beer bottles - check
Schaefer decals to award to all who choose to participate in Schaefapalooza - check
Rendering of Joe Ruttman's Schaefer-sponsored Pontiac from 1989 Daytona 500 - checkUse courtesy of 'cerealisamazing' from Sim Racing DesignFantastic work!
And an autographed photo of the real car - check
Schaefer inflatable can - check
Schaefer Hall of Fame shirt and custom-made hat - check
Schaefer buttons (new for 2011) - check
iPod ... with Schaefer jingle theme song on the playlist - checkOK, I'm good. Out. Go.
TMC
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Ready for Schaefer Schelebration 2011
May 1992.
Winston 500.
Alabama International Motor Speedway.
Now known as Talladega Superspeedway.
PBR, Old Mil, Natty Light, The Beast, the Champagne of Beers, and...Schaefer.
ZERO Anheuser-Busch products (other than the Natty).
It was the King's final season. Jeff Gordon hadn't started Cup yet. Davey and Alan were still alive. The Kyle on TV was competitive. So was Mark Martin.
It was the first gathering of what has become the Schaefer Racing Hall of Fame. What started as a practical joke on a 3rd friend of ours who was a fan of Bud-sponsored Bill Elliott has evolved into a two-decade tradition.
We chose not attend the spring Talladega race in 2011. However, the six current members of the Schaefer Hall of Fame and multiple members of the Schaefer Ring of Honor are ready and raring to go for our annual gathering on the grounds at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
This year represents the 20th ANNUAL Schaefer Schindig. Next year, we will schelebrate the 20th ANNIVERSARY. Just as Schaefer is indeed the preferred, cheap, racing beer, its even better knowing we get two years of telling the world about it.
Twenty years ago, Schaefer was still widely available. As recently as two years ago, I could buy it in a few stores around middle Tennessee. Now, the beer is as scarce as a French soldier on the front line.
But it is out there. SHOFer Rookie plans to bring a half-dozen cases or so from Wilmington, NC. And Bruton (SROH member, class of 2010) located a honey pot of it in south Georgia. Reminiscent of Smokey and The Bandit, he has already muled 12 cases of Schaefer back home to central Georgia and is ready to put it on ice. So let's get this party started.
Great news for this year's gathering is Uncle D (SHOFer, class 2009) will again be able to join us after taking off last year. Though he couldn't make the 2010 race, he proudly represented the SHOF at other memorable events such as one of the final space shuttle launches, the beach, Good Guy car shows, and other races such as Michigan and Richmond. He also hit the goldmine with the consumer relations department of the parent of Schaefer, Pabst Brewing. (More about that below.) With Uncle D's return in 2011, at least we won't need a stand-in as we did a year ago.
We think our weekend agenda will look something like this.
Friday night - the World of Outlaws sprint car Outlaw Shootout at The Dirt Track. I don't know any of the drivers, I don't understand the rules, and I'm coughing red clay dust by the end of the night. But I love the speed, the fireworks, and the three-wide pace laps.
Saturday
After setting up our tailgating area, folks will roll in steadily throughout the day. As many multi-year regulars arrive, we'll likely begin distributing for the first time at the track the Schaefer Ring of Honor t-shirts. As alluded to above and blogged previously, Uncle D networked some connections and wrangled several dozen Schaefer Hall of Fame and Ring of Honor shirts for our crew. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. A mighty Schaefer Scha-LOOT to Uncle D for his yeoman's effort.
Late in the afternoon, it'll be time to go racing again. This time, we will go to the TopGear 300 Nationwide race.
Sunday morning
Oh, let the games begin. Everyone will roll in early. Breakfast will be served. (Eggs, sausage, toast. And a Schaefer. Natch!)
Brackets will be drawn for the annual cornhole tournament. Cuba (SHOFer, class of 2010) will return with Karen (2011 SROH-elect) to defend their 2010 title.
Late morning, a handful of folks will turn their attention to that other race of the day - the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500.
Sunday afternoon
As grills are lit, Schaefer is consumed and long-distance friendships are renewed, the Schaefer Racing Cornhole Tournament will begin. This magnificent trophy will return to be awarded to the winning pair.
Without trying to sound like Jesse Jackson, we'll have a new addition to the tradition. Rookie custom-built new cornhole boards for the tourney. They'll be emblazoned at the track with - what else - high-rez Schaefer decals.
Sunday evening
As the afternoon gets late, it will be time for the main event: the Coca-Cola 600. For a novice race fan, this race generally shouldn't be your intro to NASCAR. The track is fantastic with great sight lines around the place. And the track hospitality is second to none on the circuit. But the 4 to 5 hours it takes to run the race is tough for first-timers to handle. For seasoned pros like the SHOFers, however, its a great spring night to watch NASCAR.
Assuming I can keep a charge on my cell phone, I plan to tweet off-and-on during race weekend. Follow me @toomuchcountry. If you are at the track, tweet me and look us up for a introductory Schaefer.
TMC
Winston 500.
Alabama International Motor Speedway.
Now known as Talladega Superspeedway.
PBR, Old Mil, Natty Light, The Beast, the Champagne of Beers, and...Schaefer.
ZERO Anheuser-Busch products (other than the Natty).
It was the King's final season. Jeff Gordon hadn't started Cup yet. Davey and Alan were still alive. The Kyle on TV was competitive. So was Mark Martin.
It was the first gathering of what has become the Schaefer Racing Hall of Fame. What started as a practical joke on a 3rd friend of ours who was a fan of Bud-sponsored Bill Elliott has evolved into a two-decade tradition.
We chose not attend the spring Talladega race in 2011. However, the six current members of the Schaefer Hall of Fame and multiple members of the Schaefer Ring of Honor are ready and raring to go for our annual gathering on the grounds at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
This year represents the 20th ANNUAL Schaefer Schindig. Next year, we will schelebrate the 20th ANNIVERSARY. Just as Schaefer is indeed the preferred, cheap, racing beer, its even better knowing we get two years of telling the world about it.
Twenty years ago, Schaefer was still widely available. As recently as two years ago, I could buy it in a few stores around middle Tennessee. Now, the beer is as scarce as a French soldier on the front line.But it is out there. SHOFer Rookie plans to bring a half-dozen cases or so from Wilmington, NC. And Bruton (SROH member, class of 2010) located a honey pot of it in south Georgia. Reminiscent of Smokey and The Bandit, he has already muled 12 cases of Schaefer back home to central Georgia and is ready to put it on ice. So let's get this party started.
Great news for this year's gathering is Uncle D (SHOFer, class 2009) will again be able to join us after taking off last year. Though he couldn't make the 2010 race, he proudly represented the SHOF at other memorable events such as one of the final space shuttle launches, the beach, Good Guy car shows, and other races such as Michigan and Richmond. He also hit the goldmine with the consumer relations department of the parent of Schaefer, Pabst Brewing. (More about that below.) With Uncle D's return in 2011, at least we won't need a stand-in as we did a year ago.We think our weekend agenda will look something like this.Friday night - the World of Outlaws sprint car Outlaw Shootout at The Dirt Track. I don't know any of the drivers, I don't understand the rules, and I'm coughing red clay dust by the end of the night. But I love the speed, the fireworks, and the three-wide pace laps.
SaturdayAfter setting up our tailgating area, folks will roll in steadily throughout the day. As many multi-year regulars arrive, we'll likely begin distributing for the first time at the track the Schaefer Ring of Honor t-shirts. As alluded to above and blogged previously, Uncle D networked some connections and wrangled several dozen Schaefer Hall of Fame and Ring of Honor shirts for our crew. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. A mighty Schaefer Scha-LOOT to Uncle D for his yeoman's effort.
Late in the afternoon, it'll be time to go racing again. This time, we will go to the TopGear 300 Nationwide race.
Sunday morningOh, let the games begin. Everyone will roll in early. Breakfast will be served. (Eggs, sausage, toast. And a Schaefer. Natch!)
Brackets will be drawn for the annual cornhole tournament. Cuba (SHOFer, class of 2010) will return with Karen (2011 SROH-elect) to defend their 2010 title.
Late morning, a handful of folks will turn their attention to that other race of the day - the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500.
Sunday afternoonAs grills are lit, Schaefer is consumed and long-distance friendships are renewed, the Schaefer Racing Cornhole Tournament will begin. This magnificent trophy will return to be awarded to the winning pair.
Without trying to sound like Jesse Jackson, we'll have a new addition to the tradition. Rookie custom-built new cornhole boards for the tourney. They'll be emblazoned at the track with - what else - high-rez Schaefer decals.
Sunday eveningAs the afternoon gets late, it will be time for the main event: the Coca-Cola 600. For a novice race fan, this race generally shouldn't be your intro to NASCAR. The track is fantastic with great sight lines around the place. And the track hospitality is second to none on the circuit. But the 4 to 5 hours it takes to run the race is tough for first-timers to handle. For seasoned pros like the SHOFers, however, its a great spring night to watch NASCAR.
Assuming I can keep a charge on my cell phone, I plan to tweet off-and-on during race weekend. Follow me @toomuchcountry. If you are at the track, tweet me and look us up for a introductory Schaefer.TMC