Only Thing to Do Is Sit Tight and Ride It Out

For Wally Dallenbach Jr., the race-day celebrity ride-along has become a tradition. He has been doing it since he became a NASCAR commentator for NBC and TNT in 2001.

On Sunday at California Speedway, actor Josh Duhamel, star of the NBC series “Las Vegas,” got to ride along in a Nextel Cup race car at speeds reaching 175 mph, and afterward said he enjoyed the experience.

That hasn’t been the case with everyone. David Spade was ready to get out of the car before they even took off at Darlington, S.C., in 2003, and Lisa Marie Presley kept asking Dallenbach to slow down when she got a ride-along at Daytona Beach, Fla., this year.

“If you don’t want to go fast and be up against the wall, then don’t get in the car,” Dallenbach said Sunday. “Go for a ride in a pace car.”

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Trivia time: Bill Elliott has twice won NASCAR Nextel Cup (formerly Winston Cup) races at Darlington on Sept. 4 -- in 1988 and ’94. What was significant about his victory in 1994?

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A frank message: The day after Ohio University hired former Nebraska coach Frank Solich as its football coach, the campus bookstore started getting orders for Bobcat athletic wear, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Although some of those orders were coming from Lincoln, Neb., school officials decided to create a marketing campaign around Solich. His photo was put on the cover of the media guide, T-shirts were made up that read “Got Frank,” and the athletic department adopted the slogan “Got Frank! Get Tickets!”

To be frank about it, Ohio may need more than clever slogans. The Bobcats lost their opener, 38-14, to Northwestern.

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Honest answer: Dick Enberg, pointing out that a fan called Andre Agassi a punk when he was playing Jimmy Connors in 1988, asked Agassi in a CBS interview, “Were you a punk?”

Said Agassi: “I had moments of my actions and words not reflecting who it is I am -- if that defines a punk, then yes, absolutely.”

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Marriage counselor: John McEnroe, talking with announcing partner Bill Macatee on USA about Lleyton Hewitt’s marriage to actress Bec Cartwright on July 21, said, “Roger Rasheed, his coach, called me just before he got married asking for advice. I’m like, what, are you crazy? What are you asking me for?”

Said Macatee, “What? What to serve for dessert?”

McEnroe: “Yeah, right.”

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Looking back: On this day in 1989, Chris Evert’s career came to an end when she lost to Zina Garrison, 7-6, 6-2, in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open.

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Trivia answer: He won on 9-4-94 in car No. 94.

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And finally: Some people say the best job in football is backup quarterback. But maybe it’s long snapper. According to the NFL Players Assn., long snappers last season earned an average salary of $645,928 for hiking to punters and to holders on placekicks.

The 49ers’ long snapper, Brian Jennings, told the San Francisco Chronicle, “I work about four minutes a year. The rest of the time, I’m trying to have as good a time as possible.”

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Larry Stewart can be reached at larry.stewart@latimes.com.