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Race Journal Online’s very own Rob Quillen sat down with Monica Palumbo, current Miss Sprint Cup. Okay, they were sitting down in separate states, and maybe Rob was pacing more than sitting, but you get the idea. Following is an interview that Monica later commented was one of her favorites, “I loved his questions!” So without further ado… Here’s Rob and Monica!
RQ: I know you have dogs. Do they party like rock stars in the middle of the night? The reason I ask is because I got a new cat and he’s the Axl Rose of cats, partying all night!
MP: I do have two dogs; they’re Pugs. I love animals. My dogs don’t party too much, though. When Mom turns off the lights, they sleep. One of them is a little overweight so they’re not partiers too much.”
RQ: Maybe I just need to throw some pounds on my cat to get him to settle down?
MP: Oh yeah, get some fat on him; he’ll slow down.
RQ: Could you beat Brad Daugherty in a slam dunk contest?
MP: No, but I could beat him in a fire suit contest.
RQ: I am not sure if I want to see the big man in a fire suit at all.
(Only laughter, no answer.)
RQ: Did you have to wear your fire suit to the office for this interview?
MP: No, I'm allowed to wear street clothes when I'm not at a NASCAR event.
RQ: Do you prefer Van Halen with David Lee Roth or Sammy Hagar?
MP: For sure the original Van Halen!
RQ: You are in a thumb wrestling tournament (she starts laughing already) with Carl Edwards, which hand do you use?
MP: Definitely my left hand; I’m left handed.
RQ: I’m left handed, too.
MP: We think with the right side of our brain!
RQ: To the best of my knowledge, you work 15 minutes a week,just in victory lane when the winning driver is there. What do you do the other 6 days, 23 hours and 45 minutes of the week?
MP: That’s it, the rest of the week I smile and clap my hands.
RQ: Which team has the wildest victory lane celebrations?
MP: Jeff Gordon in Texas this year…wild!
RQ: Here’s an idea I want to run past you. What do you think of talking to someone at Sprint about getting you into the Balloon Boy’s balloon, put the Sprint logo all over it, put you inside the gondola and float it above the track on Sunday? I think this would be a fantastic marketing idea.
MP: I’m down with that, great idea! Plus, you’d get a great view of the track!”
RQ: Speaking of Sprint, could you talk to someone at Sprint about getting me unlimited text messaging?
MP: Any mobile, any time!
RQ: Somewhere between 500,000 and one million, how many times have you been hit on this race season?
MP: (Long silence) Boy, I don’t know…
RQ: What are you listening to on your iPod these days?
MP: Everything from Country to The Dave Mathews Band and even some Jay Z.
RQ: It’s funny you mention Jay Z. I have a 10-year-old daughter whose whole world is Miley Cyrus…
MP: You know what; I love that song that she has out rightnow! I keep wondering if I’m too old to listen to Miley Cyrus.
RQ: Don’t feel bad, it is on my iPod as well.
MP: That is too funny.
RQ: If you could be any rapper, who would it be?
MP: Would you consider Beyonce a rapper? If so, her.
RQ: What was your first car and how many tickets did you get?
MP: Oh my gosh, Rob, it was a 1985 Turbo Benz and I got a lot of tickets my first couple of years. Most people don’t know that I’ve been a race fan for a long time and I always pretended that I was racing at different tracks; I was a bit of a speed demon on the road.
RQ: If you get a speeding ticket while at a NASCAR race weekend, does Sprint pay for the ticket?
MP: Um, no.
RQ: Is the best perk to being Miss Sprint Cup having access to the private Sprint Jet that you get to fly whenever you want to?
MP: Oh yeah, it’s great! Only kidding... I wish! But we are commercial all day. In fact, flying home yesterday, everyone on the plane except for two people were NASCAR people.
RQ: Marty Smith once said that all you have to do to get on the flights home from a race is show your NASCAR hard card.
MP: That’s funny you say that because I just said the same thing yesterday!
RQ: It’s the last lap of the Daytona 500 and you’re winning. You see Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson coming up behind you – could you hold them off and win the race?
MP: AB-SO-LUTE-LY!! Again, I used to pretend I was a race car driver when I was younger. I’m not sure if I could stop Jimmie Johnson or not, but that’s who I would try to block. Jeff Gordon would probably wreck out or something like that.
RQ: I am not sure if anyone could beat Jimmie Johnson right now.
MP: I could at Daytona!
RQ: I spend a great deal of time on Twitter and some of the things that the drivers and various other people involved in NASCAR say are so very funny. I think it’s fantastic how the drivers and other people involved with NASCAR have really reached out to their fans, even more than other professional sports. Who would you say is the funniest person inside NASCAR?
MP: AJ Allmendinger is the funniest guy out there. He should be a comedian or a race analyst, he is so funny.
RQ: I saw some pictures of you at the Halloween party at Talladega, how much wilder was Talladega compared to the normal infield party,if there is such a thing as a “normal” Talladega party?
MP: OH MY GOSH!! People dress up there anyway, for a normal Talladega race, but the Halloween party this year was the wildest party ever. People need to experience the infield at Talladega at least once in their lifetime.
RQ: You share the title of Miss Sprint Cup with Anne Marie,do you guys play rock-paper-scissors to determine who goes to the race each week or is there a little bit more coordination to it?
MP: A little more coordination than that. It’s all pre-planned in the off season and a lot of things go into who goes where. If there are any personal weekends we need or if one of us has never been to a track before, things like that. I got to go to Indy this year because I had never been there, so it was a lot of fun.
RQ: How many times a weekend does beer get spilled on you when taking a picture with a fan? And by the way, sorry about that one in Kansas last year.
MP: (Laughs at the apology) It’s not really a big issue. That just happens in Victory lane.
RQ: Speaking of that, you got soaked in Phoenix on Sunday.
MP: Yes I did, it was a lot of fun
RQ: Do you think that you could fly the Goodyear Blimp?
MP: Absolutely, without a doubt!
RQ: Can you still do the Macarena?
MP: Absolutely, and with a twist!
RQ: If NASCAR built a track in Nebraska and scheduled a race in the middle of January, would you still come to it?
MP: Of course!
RQ: Have you ever been to Nebraska in January? Most people look like hand grenades, they have so many layers on.
MP: All you can see are their little faces?
RQ: Yes.
MP: Well, I would still come and just bring a lot of hats and gloves.
RQ: What is your best response when you get asked from a guy for your cell phone number?
MP: I tell them yes, and that my number is 911...
RQ: Can I have your cell phone number?
MP: Sure, it's 911.
Editor’s note: Rob might be unavailable for comments for a few days. Apparently he tried calling Monica’s cell phone several times that afternoon and never did figure out why the police came to his house six times. | 
