No-shows at NASCAR award dinner raise some hairs

Lame award dinners are sometimes good to blow off, but when you're a big stock-car racing star, such behavior is unlikely to please the boss men. Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhart Jr. were among those that didn't show up for NASCAR's yearly award banquet in New York, and spokesman Jim Hunter went so far as to name-drop the elder Earnhart as an example of someone who made an obligatory appearance at the dinner every year. At least Gordon sent Will Ferrell to pick up a 7-figure check for earning 11th place in the overall points standings.

Seeing as how millions of people will go to office Christmas parties over the next couple of weeks in an attempt to win favor with management, I think it's not asking too much for someone who earns millions of dollars from sponsors and other supporters to dress up in a penguin suit for a single evening.