by Krista Voda, FOX Sports Net

This weekend, the Golden State shines brighter than ever as NASCAR's biggest stars turn the state's two-mile speedway into their own walk of fame... for the second time this year.

I know what you're saying:

"This is L.A.... Stars are a dime a dozen.... And surely a world that revolves around wrenches and moonshine isn't even a blip on the radar screen, in the world of the big screen."

Ah, but that's where you're wrong. Glitz and glamour have found their way into stock car racing, and stock car racing has certainly gone Hollywood.

Take the sport's poster boy, Dale Earnhardt Jr. He's done commercials, music videos and more magazine spreads than the cast of The O.C.... combined! The last time NASCAR went Hollywood, back in May, Junior was gracing the pages of his fourth People magazine as one of the Most Beautiful People of 2004. At the end of this month, he'll be featured in the season premiere of "60 Minutes".

Jeff Gordon has hosted "Saturday Night Live" and has been splattered all over GQ magazine. Besides when you think of NASCAR, do you think of New York City, shark dives and tennis? Jeff Gordon participates in all three.

Even the "lesser" names are sharing in the spotlight. Casey Mears and Jamie McMurray will show off their "Cribs" on MTV. Michael Waltrip will likely steal the show on The Best Damn Sports Show Period.

With football season ready to kickoff and the country's second-largest city void of an NFL team, now is the perfect time to look outside the box for something new. May I suggest looking *inside* the oval?

Yep. This definitely ain't your daddy's NASCAR. Or should I say — with a distinctive West Coast accent — not even in the same realm as your father's motor sports genre. NASCAR is mainstream. So why should Californians — who spend the better part of a day in deadlocked traffic on the 405 — take five minutes to think about Nextel Cup racing?

Because... No fewer than 10 of your native sons will call this weekend a homecoming. The Gordons, Jeff and Robby (no relation), Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick and Casey Mears all race at NASCAR's highest level, and all used to have a zip code (kind of) close to 90210. A handful of other California offspring will drive in Saturday's Busch Series race.

And because money talks. The California Speedway made the state's cash register sing sweetly last year... to the tune of over $135 million dollars. NASCAR was responsible for nearly $85 million of it. In typical L.A. fashion, the track went under the knife for a facelift. Lights, SAFER barriers, a new Victory Lane and expanded parking lots are the motor sports' version of Botox.

So if you hear someone say, "Hey I think NASCAR is around here this weekend. Isn't that so redneck?" You can remind them that the sport looks a little different than it used to. Like so many things California, all it needed was a tan.