“I’ve been a NASCAR fan for quite a while. I remember when the track was covered with Buicks, Pontiacs, Oldsmobiles and Fords… and they looked like Buicks, Pontiacs, Oldsmobiles and Fords from a distance too, chrome bumpers and all! A lot has changed though, both on the track and in victory lane. While some may say that the Car Of Today is ugly compared to the last car, I think they’re all ugly when compared to the cars I watched as a kid.

One area in NASCAR where things have changed for the better (at least in the appearance department) is in victory lane. With all due respect to Bill Brodrick and the discipline he brought to The Hat Dance,” the decision to add a Miss Sprint Cup girl to the victory lane celebration is, well, a beautiful one!

There are two Miss Sprint Cup girls, Monica Palumbo and Anne-Marie Rhodes. Both are absolutely gorgeous. I noticed Monica first and I instantly hit the pause button (thank you Lord for DVRs) and exclaimed, Who’s that girl?” My wife didn’t know, and stranger still, didn’t seem to care! :D

Monica started as a Miss Sprint Cup girl in 2008 and has been acting in promotions work since the age of 20. Her favorite driver is Martin Truex Jr. and Phoenix is one of her favorite tracks. Her duties include hosting the Sprint Experience area, interviewing drivers and talking to fans about the racing.

If you think you’ve seen her before, you probably have. She has been Miss North Carolina, a guest co-host on Live with Regis and Kelly, and a top six finalist in the ABC reality show, All-American Girl. She competed for Miss USA in 2001 and won the title of Miss Congeniality. That helped her land a job promoting the film “Miss Congeniality,” starring Sandra Bullock.

Before Miss Sprint Cup there was Miss Winston. The Miss Winston program began in 1971 and it seems the selection process, duties, and even the every-other-weekend rotation of Miss Winston girls has been carried over to the Miss Sprint Cup girl program. Some of the most well known Miss Winstons would include Pattie Petty (Kyle Petty’s wife), Shannon Wiseman (has worked as a NASCAR.com correspondent), and of course Brooke Sealey (Jeff Gordon’s ex-wife).

Admittedly, Monica and Anne-Marie do a fine job making a driver’s fire suit look good. But I must say, Sprint needs to hire about 22 more Miss Sprint Cup girls. Maybe start with hiring the girls who make up the Tampa Bay Buccaneers cheerleader squad. Have them bring their old uniform, change the red to yellow, and sprinkle them around the track and Sprint would sell a ton of unlimited voice & data plans. :)”