The twists and turns of the 2009 NASCAR season continue to amaze. The former DEI #8 car is parked and Sprint Cup TV ratings are down over 15 percent.
Now, SiriusXM radio's Bubba the Love Sponge Clem has been named the Grand Marshal for the Aaron's 312 Nationwide Series race live on ABC from Talladega. Well, that should shake things up.
Mr. Clem, pictured above at the Adult Video News Awards, is sometimes called the second Howard Stern. Clem's long career in radio has walked a fine line between the raunchy humor of a shock jock and someone whose personal struggles seemed to manifest themselves on the airwaves. Despite his bravado, he sometimes appears to be a sympathetic character.
Click here for a link to the Tucker Carlson interview with Mr. Clem where he speaks about satellite radio and his belief in the Sirius brand. Scroll about halfway down the page, the link is on the left. Clem is well-spoken and on target with many of his comments. Clem and Carlson have since become friends, with Carlson regularly appearing on Clem's radio shows.
Contrast that by clicking here for the link to Mr. Clem's commercial website, which has some adult content even on the main page. Clem promises that paid admission to the site will allow access to material that is "uncensored by the government." Most of that content involves nudity, profanity and violence.
“We are thrilled that Bubba will be giving the command to start the Aaron’s 312,” stated Ken Butler, Chief Operating Officer of Aaron Rents, Inc. “Bubba’s love of racing is very apparent and I believe his ‘Bubba Army’ fan base is a perfect fit for Aaron’s and NASCAR.”
Clem's Grand Marshal duties will include greeting each of the drivers as they are announced on the driver introduction stage, addressing the Talladega crowd and issuing the most famous words in racing: “Gentlemen, start your engines.”
“I couldn’t be more honored or excited,” said Clem. He currently owns the 8-car race team, CRI (Clem Racing, Inc.). It consists of two dirt late models driven by Clem and renowned late model driver Keith Nosbich. Bubba’s 6-year-old son, Tyler Clem and 9-year-old Michael Atwell drive quarter midgets. The team competes across the US and has major corporate sponsorships. Tyler and Michael are also two of the youngest drivers to enjoy development deals with Stewart/Haas Racing, Tony Stewart’s new NASCAR racing team.
Click here for the official website of the radio program and all things Bubba. Media personalities that are selected to participate as Grand Marshal are usually carefully selected for specific purposes. Darrell Waltrip and Jeff Hammond have taken their turns in support of the NASCAR on Fox brand, while comedian Kevin James was recently waving the green flag in support of his "Mall Cop" movie.
On one hand, Clem often refers to himself as "the most offensive person in the history of radio." On the other hand, he is certainly a racing fan and has personally involved himself and his family in the sport. One thing is for sure, NASCAR may never be the same after this Bubba strolls into Talladega later this month.
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51 comments:
OMG what is Talladega thinking. I am a fan of BTLS on the radio, but as a grand marshall? Don't they think that some of their fans aren't Billy Bob rednecks?
I hope this doesn't backfire on them.
I have listened to Bubba on and off for years. You will find no bigger promoter on NASCAR on any radio station anywhere. He is close personal friends with Tony Stewart and almost all the drivers regularly stop by his radio show. The man is unabashed in his love of NASCAR, and outside of a sports show I can't remember any time I've heard NASCAR as a topic of casual conversation on the radio. Bubba definitely does a lot of raunchy stuff, and his show is NOT for families. But I think a lot of NASCAR fans over 18 would like him if they gave him a chance.
I'm not sure where I stand on this. I don't exactly like the idea of a Howard Stern like radio personality being the grand marshall (really don't like that shock jock persona at all( but I do like the idea that it's a radio personality that obviously enjoys Nascar and racing. I guess I would rather have someone that is a race fan than someone wouldn't recognize Jimmie Johnson if he walked by in a drivers suit on his way to driver introductions.
nrf,
My feelings exactly.
Guess some older ladies are out of the loop... I have never even HEARD of this guy before here! IMO, this doesn't sound like the "family friendly" type of guy Nascar is supposed to push. But never are the erectile ads I see during EVERY race or lead up to...
@ Nrf, Ditto.
@ PammH, I'm with you on the age thing. I read sometime back that Bubba got into some kind of trouble with his prior radio station. I don't remember what happened. Anyone? That's all I've ever heard about him. His name "love sponge" is pretty telling though.
It ought to be really interesting with him being the grand marshall and definitely Talladega will never be the same.
I know all about this sick cretin from problems on a Clear Channel station that was in this area.
Too disgusting and cruel to mention on this family friendly site.
COLOR me disappointed in NASCAR/Aarons for this discussion.
So much for the sanctimonious NASCAR FAMILY FRIENDLY name NASCAR tries to tie to itself.
This is all I can say about this guy without going ballistic. I know some guys that worked with him at a station. If he is a close personal friend of TS, my opinion of Tony just took a HUGE NOSE DIVE.
Wow. To say I am shocked is putting it mildly.
:(
P.S. Howard Stern went to charm school compared to this creep
I've never heard of this "person", and from the sound of things, I think I'm happy I haven't.
Oh, brother.
Tough to continue looking at NASCAR as a "family" sport when the grand marshal is someone you'd never want your children to listen to.
Lots of celebrities like stock car racing; why did they choose someone like this?
My opinion is not everything has to be about the children. What's a grand marshall really do besides say "Drivers, start your engines"? Honestly not familiar with his work, but he's on a pay radio channel and whatever he does, I guarantee your average 10 year old could find "worse" in 30 seconds on the internet.
he was on FREE RADIO FOR YEARS!!!!!
I guarantee your average 10 year old could find "worse" in 30 seconds on the internet.That's not much of a standard.
Just because kids "could" find obscenity on the inetrnet doesn't mean NASCAR needs to promote a man who was slapped with a sex assault lawsuit and FCC fines for his behavior.
West Coast Diane said:
Color me disgusted. So sad with all the people a track could pick...like maybe a wounded or returning soldier from Iraq or Afghanistan. Or a local hero. Hey, anyone but this low life. Thank goodness for the FF button on the DVR.
I don't know Bubba personally but I've listened to him on SiriusXM off and on for about 3 years now and I think Bubba will make a great Grand Marshall. If you have ever listened to his show he is constantly promoting NASCAR and racing in general. In listening to his show I think the Bubba that goes home to his family, has gotten his young son involed in racing and drives a race car himself is a totally different person than what his radio personallity precives. Do you actually think that when Bubba takes his kid along with another youngster to the track that he acts and talks like he does on his radio show? I think Bubba's a professional and a family man who for the most part leaves his radio personallity at the radio station.
Just goes to show that NA$CAR is sinking further into the depths of the sports garbage heap. NA$CAR is now a front runner competing with professional wrestling to see who can hit the bottom of the pit first.
Ha! To the wrestling comment, Bubba was a pro wrestler too, so yeah, BS is right up his alley. I stopped listening because all he does is cry how he isn't getting any money or he is busy selling his t-shirts and mud flaps, very little in the way of entertainment anymore. I guess with losing all his lsiteners due to his flea market hawking he needs to do something to draw attention to himself.
Wow...has anybody on here been to the infield of a NASCAR race?? Not sure you grasp the FAN unless you have. Bubba plays to the majority of the paying NASAR fans vs the couch fans. He really does promote the sport!
Folks here seriously think this is the first time that a grand marshal or other guest at a race isn't family friendly or does raunchy things? Or that everything and everyone about this sport is family friendly? The sponsors, teams and the sport itself may have created the image that everything about the drivers and NASCAR is family-friendly but it's an illusion. As others have pointed out Bubba the love sponge has done a lot to promote the sport and there are likely a significant amount of fan who listen to him as shocking as that may seem to some here. He is a completely appropriate choice to be grand marshal and in that role it's not like he's going to be doing anything raunchy.
i don't know of him so i have no informed opinion on the appropriateness or not to be grand marshall at 'dega. all i keep hearing in my mind's ear (if such a thing exists) is "separate the person from the persona." of course, he appears to make his living as "the persona" so i'm thinking that might not be possible.
probably a nice enough gent who truly loves our sport and has found a niche audience who enjoys what he does on air. the two may not be as far apart as some of us believe. TDP represents one sort of fan; this gent clearly represents another. there is some overlap, i suspect.
and, if he's going to grand marshall a race somewhere, can anyone think of a better place than 'dega? just cements its place in the legends and lore of nascar as the most outrageous track on the circuit, i suspect!
With this creep being the grand marshal, I will be selling my selling my tickets off? I thought that Nascar was a family sport...
Whoa, that picture is really something. I guess just saying the 4 most important words before the race will not hurt anyone. I've never heard of this guy either, but here in Houston we don't even have a station that broadcasts the races. Ok, let me go wrap myself up in my little cocoon now.
anon@8:57 said:
"With this creep being the grand marshal, I will be selling my selling my tickets off? I thought that Nascar was a family sport..."
i respect that you're selling the tickets to protest this grand marshall choice but . . . i see little of the "nascar is a family sport" at work at many tracks, including 'dega. the infields are NOT family friendly at most places and dega remains one of the raunchiest.
and let's not get folks here started on the contradiction between family friendly nascar and erectile dysfunction commercials on race broadcasts. i don't see those endless parades of commercials as "family friendly," just (apparently) necessary for the finances.
how about pamela anderson at a race in her tight and low-cut shorts outfit? family friendly nascar there? i think not.
see, i understand your anger but in my mind, nascar hasn't been "family friendly" of late (if ever.) sell your tickets in protest as is your right but don't think for one moment nascar is truly "family friendly." hell, they're not even FAN friendly, in my opinion!
Apparently, you can do anything else you want, as long as you "promote NASCAR," huh?
There are plenty of celebrities who don't make their living demeaning women and doing raunchy radio shows who also "promote NASCAR" who could do this job.
I notice that the people here who think Bubba is a fine choice are men.
That figures. Make all the excuses you want. I've heard what he does for a living and I would prefer that NASCAR not "promote' that.
"NASCAR may never be the same after this Bubba strolls into Talladega later this month."I think that's a bit of an overstatement. What's he going to do, take a poop on national TV as he's saying "Pimps and whores, start your engines!"?
The grand marshal means nothing to virtually everyone who watches on TV. There have been plenty of marshals where I said "that's pretty stupid, who asked that guy to come to the race?" but then they say the line, wave at the camera, and are off the screen. How will this be any different?
Now, I've never been to a race and maybe the marshal does something different there and makes a huge impact on race fans lives. I don't know. But I highly doubt that 90% of the nascar nation will care.
At least he's a dedicated race fan.
How far down can Nascar stoop? There is just one word that suits this situation. Disgusting!
Have been to a few races at Dover have no clue who the Grand Marshall was, I think they have even less of an impact at a race, except of course if he's being the "persona" in Dega's infield.
Anon 11:16 you might be surprised about who is male and female around here, and non-feminine name does not guarantee a male poster :)
Yes NASCAR and "Winston" Cup, such a family friendly sport!?
Leading killer in US, I believe?
Yes NASCAR and "Winston" Cup, such a family friendly sport!?
Leading killer in US, I believe?I believe that is the Sprint Cup. No one's been directly killed by a cell phone, as far as I know.
You do realize how long Winston sponsored the sport, right? Just poinying out how absurd it is for somebody to want to boycott or not attend a race due do the GM.
I don't think the fans in the stands are even going to know who Bubba is. Just like some of us here.
We at home are going to see him up close and personal because more than likely, he'll be on the broadcast before the green flag, ala Kevin James. Since he is a shock jock, I'd like to think he'd tone it down for TV.
We definately need to go back to family friendly days of yore, when drivers would settle things with fistfights, and beeter yet, when they would spend the days between races hauling illegal liquor and running from law enforcement. Yeah, Nascar has a loooong history as family friendly entertainment.
@ Matt, too funny. You're killing me.
BTW, Dega has two sections in the infield, one family friendly and the other love sponge friendly.
I would rather have Bubba be the Grand Marshall than "the executive vice president of east coast marketing for Sponsor X". The man has probably sold more NASCAR tickets than anyone - his show is probably 1/4 NASCAR content at least and he is a family man. I didn't see anyone complaining when Keifer Sutherland of the show 24 was grand marshall - you can look him on on YouTube being drunk in a hotel lobby and getting arrested.
Bottom line: Bubba loves NASCAR and more NASCAR fans probably love Bubba than don't. If the GM must meet 100% fan approval every time they might as well just let the preacher wave the flag.
do the people on here defending bubba the love sponge know of his history and why he has such a bad rap? I suppose if Kobe Bryant can be on Sesame Street and represent our country at the Olympics after what he was accused of, then anything is possible, but seriously...
Just read about the one MAJOR incident that happened on his radio show involving two porn stars. Look up a link on Google with an article from a Florida newspaper and make sure you don't click on the wrong link and run into any pornography. Something very disgusting happened with this guy being the ringleader, it's just the details of how it all happened that are sketchy or arguable. But it's disgusting either way.
And Nascar went out of their way to bring him to be grand marshal. Yikes.
I would rather have Bubba be the Grand Marshall than "the executive vice president of east coast marketing for Sponsor X". The man has probably sold more NASCAR tickets than anyone - his show is probably 1/4 NASCAR content at least and he is a family man.Sorry, but just because you think he sells tickets to NASCAR races (a statement for which you have zero evidence) doesn't make up for the sexist, racist and crude crap he spews every day on his show.
Why reward that kind of behavior?
A big NASCAR promoter and a big personality like that as Grand Marshall at Talladega: NASCAR's biggest track. It makes sense to me!
Cretin, eh, Sophia? I'm taking your word for it.
He's not the type of person I'd pick for Grand Marshal. The president of XYZ Corporation who's paying beaucoup bucks to sponsor a race, that's fine with me. Just being a Nascar supporter isn't enough to get past the unsavory issues with his public persona, not in my book. I'm sure there are plenty of people in maximum security prisons who are big Nascar fans as well. (Okay, jump on that one, folks!)
Give Bubba a break! First of all, his name "Bubba the Love Sponge" is a radio nickname that he legally uses. Is there a difference between that and than "Larry the Cable Guy?" Previous grand marshal Ron White, a comedian, is known for advocating alcohol (he drinks onstage and jokes about it), a more highly dangerous NASCAR connection than Bubba's bawdy humor. Bubba loves and promotes NASCAR!
Bubba loves and promotes NASCAR!
He also degrades women on the radio.
But that's okay, right, as long as he "promotes NASCAR>"
Nothing like perpetuating the stereotype of NASCAR fans and ignorant hicks by bringing in this buffoon, huh, Talladega?
Thanks for nothing.
Matt you're exactly right!
Lets go back to the family friendly days of NASCAR.
I only know Clem from heresay, but, since he has been compared to Howard I don't listen to either one of them.
I hope he does a good job.
every one needs to step back and remember that you are going to watch a race. No one is asking you to listen to Bubba's radio show. All he will do is say 3 words on air. Besides, Bubba has a very sanitized show on fm radio 5 days a week. On Friday after the clean show he has an uncensored show on Sirius. No one spends more time talking about racing than Bubba and his show. As for dropping your opinion of Tony Stewart for being a friend of Bubba. well, thats rediculous. Remember Bubba does a radio show and millions of people pay money to hear the dirty anticks. So step back, realize it's 3 words, and enjoy the race.
These comments are great. Like him or hate him he's going to be the Grand Marshall, I just can't believe anyone would sell their tickets because Bubba's going introduce the drivers and say "Start Your Engines". At least have kahoonas to go boo Bubba and maybe throw an empty MILK carton at him.
I am sick of people saying Bubba degrades women on his radio show. Those people have never listened.
The truth is that women come on that show and degrade themselves. He doesn't force them to do anything - he simply comments on the absurdity of what they themselves will do to simply get on the radio.
Regardless, the man is waving a flag, not broadcasting from the infield. And I think there is nothing more Un-American than someone trying to deny someone else simply because they disagree with them. In America, the motto is "though I disagree with what you say, I will fight to the death for your right to say it." Anything less is close-minded.
Go Bubba!
Let me ask a question to these commentators who say Bubba degrades women:
If I announce that I am having a contest in which women can enter, and to win they must complete a task that is extremely degrading and humiliating... and then on the day of the contest, 10 women show up to compete.
The question is: am I the one degrading women or are the women degrading themselves by knowing ahead of time 100% what they are getting into and the VOLUNTEERING to go through with it?
Sorry, but I don't think Bubba exploits or degrades women. I think the women on that show do it to themselves and Bubba has gotten rich by making jokes about it.
For those who have never been to 'Dega or its infield - well let me put this delicately. It wasn't family oriented when we were there.
After the last few years of the semi porn Go Daddy type commercials,& raunchy TV show previews, why would any one believe that NA$CAR is still family oriented?
This guy will probably be on his best behavior, won't be on that long & at least if interviewed will know about NASCAR.He talks NASCAR alot according to my hubby & his buds. Which is more than can be said of the "celebrity" that was hauled in to be Grand Marshall in the past.
He will be GM say 4 words and go. Fox won't be airing his show -so just surf to Jayski, figure out when the green flag drops exactly & tune in then - simple & you don't have to see or hear him. Honest it works. I used to do it with the National anthem singers last season. It will work.
By now we know NA$CAR & track owners don't care what fans want or think.
Getting Bubba the Love Sponge to be the Grand Marshal is a marketing / public relations PLOY ... To get people talking about the race ...
And it worked like a charm ...
People will tune into the race to see IF Bubba the Love Sponge does / says something crazy ...
MRN will probably also have him on during the race as they usually interview the Grand Marshals ...
It's Talladega ... Would you expect anything less than something like this??
It's not like ISC / Aaron's are bringing in some witch doctor / voodoo priestess to exorcise the spirits that are haunting the track ... Though, that probably would be a good show ... LOL ;-)
Good for NASCAR having Bubba as the grand marshal for the Nationwide race! He does more for that sport than anyone else in mainstream radio.
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