Chase Elliott Is 27 And Thriving, NASCAR Wins Court Battle, Kyle Larson New Mansion, Daniel Suarez Gets Hitched
You know it's the NASCAR offseason when your talking Most Popular Driver voting, real estate purchases, marriage proposals and court cases.
But hey, that's why they pay me the slightly-above-average bucks! (Just kidding, please don't fire me).
Hard to believe, but we're almost a month into the shortest offseason in all of sports. That's right. It's been weeks since we actually saw live racin' on a track, heard any F-bombs from an in-car radio, saw any middle fingers fly from a window, or witnessed Ross Chastain take out his latest victim.
Time flies!
With NASCAR's annual end-of-season banquet quickly approaching, we'll spend today checking in on Most Popular Driving voting (yes, we already know who's going to win, I get it), congratulating Kyle Larson on being very rich, Daniel Suarez for being very hitched, and getting a lesson on basic taxes.
Sound good?
Two tires and half a can of Sunoco fuel (this is a short run, don't need to waste all the Goodyears), Monday Morning Pit-Stop - Offseason Grasping-At-Straws Edition - is a GO!
Chase Elliott turns 27. Our man is growing up!
Happy Birthday Chase Elliott, NASCAR's Most Popular Driver
Don't look now, but our Young Buck is growing up!
William Clyde Chase Elliott II - yep, true story - turns 27 today. I know, it seems like he was replacing Jeff Gordon in the No. 24 car just yesterday, but that was neatly seven years ago now.
Kenny Chesney warned us not to blink!
Anyway, ol' Chase has lived quite the life so far, and he's not even in his prime yet. He's a NASCAR Cup champion, already has 18 Cup wins, and he's the sport's most popular driver by a country mile.
That last one, by the way, is only going to keep growing.
NASCAR gave us a little update on its Most Popular Driver voting last week, unveiling the top 10 vote-getters (in alphabetical order) with polls set to close this coming Wednesday.
And no, Bubba Wallace did NOT make the list. Shocking.
Here ya go!
I don't see any surprises, although who knew there were so many Christopher Bell fans? Not sure I've ever met one, to be honest with you. But hey, to each his own.
Voting ends at noon on Wednesday. Head over to nascar.com/mostpopulardriver/ to cast your vote for Chase!
NASCAR doesn't owe Ohio a dime in TV money! (Photo by Douglas Stringer/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
NASCAR wins court case on Ohio TV taxes
Didn't know this was a thing, but congrats on the fellas over in the glass building across from Daytona International Speedway for winning it!
The backstory: Apparently, Ohio was trying to tax NASCAR for broadcasting its races in the state.
The issue before the court was whether the state tax commissioner properly subjected TV broadcasts to Ohio’s commercial activities tax during an audit from 2005 to 2010. The tax requires payments on a company’s annual sales.
Spoiler alert: they were NOT properly subjected, and the court ruling reversed a Board of Tax Appeals ruling in its favor and sent the organization’s disputed tax bill - which totaled a whopping $529,520 - back to the panel to be readjusted.
That's a TOUGH bill to have to open right before Christmas. Not sure you can just throw it away and act like you never got it like I do six times a year with my phone bill.
Anyway, NASCAR maintained that its commercial activities in Ohio (such as broadcasting races and selling merchandise) are done by other companies - Fox Broadcasting Co., for example (great place to work!) - which are taxed accordingly.
Kyle Larson buys $5.6 million house in Arizona
You know who wouldn't have trouble paying $529,520 in TV taxes? Kyle Larson, who just purchased a cozy $5.6 million house in Scottsdale, Arizona.
From the Arizona Republic:
Larson, 30, bought a 6,500-square-foot Scottsdale house. The home with four bedrooms and five and a half bathrooms also comes with an outdoor bar, a cascading marble kitchen island, a see-through fireplace, an outdoor fireplace and a fountain. Ronald and Ty Reeves, a real estate agent, sold it.
Nice little commission check for our guys Ron and Ty, by the way. Merry Christmas indeed!
I see the 2021 Cup champ is a BIG fireplace and fountain guy, too. I respect that. LOVE a good fireplace, even though I live in Florida. Although, to be fair, I'm not sure how much use he's gonna get out of those seven fireplaces in Arizona, either.
Anyway, Larson built a massive mansion earlier this year in North Carolina, and actually sold two NC houses back in 2020 after he was suspended from NASCAR for nearly a year.
Looks like the checks are back to flowing in pretty steadily now, and our man is ready to expand his portfolio out west.
Kyle Larson sold one of his North Carolina mansions in 2020.
Daniel Suarez pops the question and gets a good answer
On our way out, it wouldn't be a true NASCAR offseason unless we had at least one driver pop the question.
This year, it appears Cupid's arrow struck Daniel Suarez, who got engaged to long-time girlfriend Julia Piquet over the weekend.
Piquet is the daughter of Nelson Piquet - the former Formula One legend. Nelson, now 70, has a pretty decent gene pool, too.
Turns out, his other daughter, Kelly, is currently dating Max Verstappen. Have a damn day, Piquet family!
Suarez apparently popped the question in Mexico, gave us a little behind-the-scenes action from the big day, and apparently got a big, fat "yes" in response.
Full send, Amigo!
OK, that'll do it for today. To quote the great Chase Elliott, Merry Offseason and Happy Christmas (Thanksgiving).
Take us home, Larry Mac!