NASCAR on Twitter: Some do and some don't

Elliott Sadler's newborn son wasn't home before Sadler, like any proud dad, began showing off photos. Thing is, Sadler also shared them with fans on Twitter.

A few hours after Jamie McMurray won the Daytona 500, fans could see a picture of the trophy in his motorhome via Twitter and the message: "Oh my God! I can't believe it. The Daytona 500. Here is a pic of the trophy in my bus."

Kyle Busch, not a fan of social networking last year, relented and then shortly afterward, announced via Twitter that he was engaged.

Drivers are racing to Twitter and other social networking sights as fast as they race on the track, giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at the sport. While many driver comments on Twitter can be mundane -- Busch noted the other day he and his fiancee couldn't find an ice cream shop in Las Vegas -- some share insights not only into the sport but the people.

Kasey Kahne succinctly described his 34th-place finish last weekend at Auto Club Speedway on Twitter: "Huge mistake today. Can't believe I spun out like an idiot. Need to get my 1/8expletive deleted3/8 together now!"

Go to Twitter after a Cup race and there often are several comments from drivers on their race. Nearly half of the 43 drivers in today's Shelby American field at Las Vegas Motor Speedway are active on Twitter. A few others maintain Facebook pages.

Even as the momentum grows for more drivers, their wives, crew members and others in the sport to join Twitter, there are some who refuse.

You won't see Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson or Tony Stewart tweet -- what a message 140 characters or less on Twitter is called -- anytime soon.

''I actually have enough productive stuff to do with my life other than sit there and tell everybody what I'm doing every minute of every day," Stewart said.

Earnhardt also is not a big fan of social networking.

''I use social networking through our partnerships, but I never really enjoyed doing it on a personal level," he said.

It's that personal contact that Juan Pablo Montoya enjoys. He has more than 130,000 followers on Twitter -- more than any other Cup driver. He's shared his love of remote-controlled airplanes, noted times he's taken his oldest child to school and this past week complained about the parking spot for his motorhome at the track. He also says how the car is handling at times.

''A lot of people have no idea who I am or how I am and a lot of people wanted to know maybe a little bit more about me," Montoya said. "You share with them cool things that you see and when you're 1/8ticked3/8 off you tell them that you're pissed off. I think it's a cool way to get people that follow you and want you to do well to get a little more involved with you."

Scott Speed's dad can relate. When he wants to know what his son is doing, he checks Speed's Twitter account. Speed's tweets are among the most irreverent among drivers, teasing McMurray about his 8:30 p.m. bedtime, having fun at his wife's expense, and sharing other humorous situations. Only Michael Waltrip can rival Speed for offbeat tweets.

''It's an entertaining way to get stuff out," Speed said. "When I'm bored, I just go on Twitter and I'll have like 150 or some responses and I can pick which one I can respond to. You're winning over a lot of fans who are able to see that all this stuff you say on TV and the stuff that is portrayed about you, there is a personality behind it, too."

That's among the biggest benefits for the sport. Drivers are beholden to car owners, sponsors and the sport and that's led to a cry from fans that the sport has become too vanilla, noting that drivers don't want to offend anyone. Yet, some drivers are more care-free on Twitter.

This past week, points leader Kevin Harvick displayed photos he took on a trip to the San Diego Zoo, mourned the death of his dog and celebrated the U.S. hockey team's victories in the Olympics. Denny Hamlin vowed on Twitter shortly after tearing his ACL in a pickup basketball game in January that the injury wouldn't detract from his title aspirations.

Social networking also can help drivers. Kenny Wallace used Twitter and Facebook last year to get sponsorship for a Nationwide race in Montreal. His sponsor could not be on the car for that race since it was outside the U.S., so Wallace posted a note on his Facebook page asking fans of any Canadian companies that could sponsor his car. One of the suggestions that came back was to let the fans sponsor his car. Eventually, Wallace did. For a contribution of $20, a fan got their name on his car for that race. He raised enough to compete.

He continues to interact with fans on Twitter. His Twitter account features about 25,000 followers.

''It's like therapy for me," Wallace said of Twitter. "I like to talk and get my point across. Facebook and Twitter makes me happy. It gives me something to do."

And for many fans it's given them something more to read about their favorite drivers.

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