Given that most people in New York City only know NASCAR from Larry the Cable Guy jokes, the racing outfit's decision to throw a party for its Nextel Cup Series Championship at Marquee seemed to be a risky choice. Would anyone actually show up to celebrate a sport that entails driving in circles for six hours?

Yes, it seems. David Spade came by, albeit briefly. Nick Lachey, girlfriend Vanessa Minnillo, pop singer Gavin DeGraw and newly minted toxic bachelor Lance Armstrong stayed longer.

Jimmie Johnson, winner of two consecutive NASCAR titles, was the guest of honor in the laser-lit packed house. We asked him what exactly NASCAR was. "It's our sport. It's about racing," he said and attributed his success as a championship NASCAR driver to "the people and the relationships that you have on your team." Jimmie Johnson is terse and speaks in sports clichés.

Bill Germanakos, the odds-on winner of this season's Biggest Loser, also swung by, looking thin but creepily un-fit and abstaining from the pigs-in-a-blanket appetizers being served. We asked him if our preferred method of weight loss—drugs and alcohol— were acceptable. "Absolutely not," Bill said. "Smoking is the worst thing you can do and there's no excuse for drug use, if you ask me." So how does he mind his diet while partaking of the traditional beer-and-nachos one typically associates with the sport? "I eat celery sticks and drink seltzer for the time being. I don't begrudge anyone for eating their nachos and beer while they're watching the race, that's for sure."

In talking to Gavin DeGraw, we learned that his country accent is somewhat affected! "I'm from New York State. I just like cars. I used to watch stock cars with my granddad in the county where we lived and the next county over. I think NASCAR's about people who really enjoy racing cars and a culture of people who enjoy the idea of car racing. It's old school."