Sorry, guys -- It's a girl thing

By Liz Allison, Turner Sports Interactive
December 2, 2001
4:41 PM EST (2141 GMT)

COMMENTARY

Liz Allison

Hey ladies, this one is for you. I am just returning home from New York and I knew you would all want the inside scoop on the awards show and parties. So here you go. And by the way guys, this will only happen once a year so bear with me here.

Most everyone got into New York on Wednesday morning to allow themselves plenty of shopping time while in the Big Apple. One of the most popular shopping spots for the ladies is Saks, which is right around the corner from the Waldorf. You also have Barneys, Bloomingdales and Bergdorf, and of course, FAO Schwarz. Most of the places you can walk to, but I prefer the yellow cab, which in New York is always quite the treat -- or not.

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Wednesday night is a great night to catch a Broadway show, which is exactly what I did along with Bill Weber and his wife, Teresa, and several of our NBC/TNT production team. Our group caught the showing of "42nd Street," which seemed to be the show most viewed by the NASCAR family over the course of the week.

Thursday is another day of shopping for the ladies while the guys have meetings and press conferences for a good part of the day.

The week was filled with elegant cocktail parties.

Thursday evening was a private party held at the Waldorf hosted by the champion, Jeff Gordon and his wife, Brooke. This was a semi-dressy affair where I saw everything from nice pants suits to cocktail dresses. Brooke, as always, was stunning.

The party ended at midnight and most of the invited guests then made their way to the main lobby area to continue with their socializing and mingling. This is a lot of fun for everyone because it is all fun and no work -- a nice break from the race season.

On Friday, there is the last-minute shopping runs and then it's back to the hotel for preparations for the awards show and cocktail parties, which start as early as 5 p.m.

Some ladies make time for a massage in the fitness and spa center at the Waldorf. The salon at the hotel is a very busy place beginning at about noon. You have to book your appointment weeks in advance to get an appointment there. I booked my 3:30 appointment in early November.

Before you know it, the time arrives to get dressed and head out for a very long night. I met the NBC/TNT group at 6:30 p.m. for the pre-show cocktail party that ended at 7:45 p.m. The awards show got underway at 8.

As always, the show was full of laughter and some tears -- especially during the Earnhardt tribute delivered by Garth Brooks and crowned with an appearance by Teresa Earnhardt.

Garth Brooks and Teresa Earnhardt

Between the video tribute to Earnhardt and the video for the firefighters and police officers of New York, I do not think there was a dry eye in the ballroom or at home as we all reflected on a very emotional year. I did not have enough Kleenex to wipe away my tears of pride and sorrow.

I, for one, think this was the best awards show that NASCAR has ever had. I felt that it was entertaining and very fitting under the circumstances involved in the 2001 season.

I also thought the dresses were exceptional this year. Here is the Liz top-five best dressed for the night.

1. Buffy Waltrip, Michael Waltrip's wife, was stunning in her off-white strapless gown.

Jeff and Brooke Gordon make their entrance at the awards show.

2. Kim Burton, Jeff Burton's wife, wore a burgundy gown with an amazing wrap over her shoulders.

3. Teresa Earnhardt, the wife of Dale Earnhardt, was striking in her black eveningwear that was even more beautiful from the back, where it was adorned with white designs all the way to the floor. She looked fabulous.

4. Kelley Jarrett, the wife of Dale Jarrett, wore a lavender gown that was beautiful and classic. Her blonde hair was as gorgeous with her dress.

5. Lesa France Kennedy, the daughter of Bill France, Jr., was amazing in her deep purple gown that dipped low down her back again making the back of the dress as beautiful as the front.

Many of the festivities took place inside the historic Waldorf-Astoria.

When the show ended at 11 p.m., everyone was asked to leave the ballroom for an hour so that the room could be cleared and set up for the Champion's Party, which would begin around midnight.

This is when most everyone took off to the different cocktail parties again to await the Champion's Party kick-off. I made my way to the Goodyear Suite and the Budweiser Suite where I found most of our team including Marty Snider, Matt Yocum, Dave Burns and Bill Weber and their significant others.

It was finally midnight, and the much anticipated champions ball officially got underway. The ball began with a Champaign toast given by Jeff and Brooke Gordon and the introduction to the band of the ball, K.C. and The Sunshine Band.

The tradition for the ball is for the champion to select the band for the evening. Jeff and Brooke selected K.C. and the Sunshine Band and this was a very popular choice. For those of you who are not familiar with K.C. and the Sunshine Band, they were a big hit in the late 70s and early 80s with tunes like "I'm Your Boogie Man" and "Shake Your Bootie".

Jeff and Brooke, along with everyone else in the ballroom, hit the dance floor and did not leave until the band had finished playing, which was several hours later. Jeff and Brooke led the party train around the ballroom floor several times during the nightThey both looked to be thoroughly enjoying themselves. And by the way, Jeff is not a bad dancer, for those of you wondering.

Dressed to the nines out side the Waldorf.

The Starlight Orchestra took the stage in the very early hours of Saturday to continue to play until almost sun up. The deal for the night is to see who can make it till sun up, and I can assure you that when I left at 3:30 a.m., the dance floor was still so crowded you could not see it.

The toughest part of the week is getting up Saturday to head back home, and that is exactly what most people plan to do. Now whether or not they all make it is another story.

Thank goodness the awards show only happens once a year, because I don't think we could make it through two all-nighters. One thing is for sure, when December rolls around next year everyone will be ready again for New York and again wondering who will make it to sun up on Saturday morning.

Okay, ladies. There you have it -- the inside scoop. So consider yourself informed. You guys that made it through this, you are a good sport, because us girls like to know these things.

NOTE: Liz Allison's column appears weekly on NASCAR.com and the opinions expressed here are solely those of the writer. To reach Liz, write her at Liz.Allison@turner.com.