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Running On Empty

Posted by Penni On June - 18 - 2008

Rain — always a factor — played havoc on Friday’s race track activities, this time at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Mich.

Sprint Cup qualifying was canceled moments after the rain came down. Ten cars had qualified with Greg Biffle’s No. 16 sitting on top. However, it would be Kyle Busch’s No. 18 Toyota who would “claim” the pole position, thanks to the current owner’s points standings.

The rain didn’t seem to be a problem Saturday. The Cup drivers were able to have their final two practice sessions. Greg Biffle’s No. 16 (still very fast) and Jimmie Johnson’s No. 48 Chevrolet were the fastest. (Other track activities were able to resume as well, including an ARCA Remax race and a Craftsman Truck race.)

The LifeLock 400 started Sunday despite the possibility of rain with Busch pulling away from the pack until the first caution flag flew three laps in. Read the rest of this entry »

Race Reviews

A ‘Monster’ Of A Jumble

Posted by Penni On June - 4 - 2008

Dover a dozer?

That was my opinion at the conclusion of the Sprint Cup race Sunday — actually, even before the conclusion.

The race, which started with Greg Biffle’s No. 16 Ford on the pole, looked pretty much like a sleeper even before the big caution on lap 17. Biffle was leading and pulled away from the pack. Good cars were making their way to front and avoiding cautions.

The change was sudden and just about the time I was lulled to sleep. Read the rest of this entry »

Race Reviews

Sunday Night Lights

Posted by Penni On May - 29 - 2008

Memorial Day weekend is a big racing weekend for the race fans and the drivers. There are always several races going on during the weekend, particularly on Sunday. Two of the biggest and best known races are the Indianapolis 500 in Indianapolis, Ind. and the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte, N.C.

The Coke 600 is also the longest race of the year. It starts in the day with the sun blaring down upon you and ends under the lights as the cool air breaths down your neck.

I know this well; I was there this weekend.

It is typically a very interesting race; anything and everything can and probably will happen. It just takes a little longer for most things to do so. This year’s race was no exception. Read the rest of this entry »

Race Reviews

‘Kahne’ You Feel The Love

Posted by Penni On May - 21 - 2008

Who would have thought there would be an All-Star main event without a single caution for debris or a wreck? Instead, there were three, the only cautions scheduled to break the race into four segments.

The Sprint Showdown (formerly the Open), the qualifying race directly before the All-Star race (officially called All-Star Race XXIV), was a different story. The 40-lap race had one scheduled pit stop after the first of two segments, but quickly the one definite pit stop turned to three additional pit stops.

Patrick Carpentier, the driver who promised to run naked if he was voted in, was the first to bring out a caution when his No. 10 Dodge got loose and spun hitting the wall. He was done and was also disqualified from the Fan Vote because his car was no longer race-ready.

When the segment restarted Carpentier’s teammate, Elliott Sadler, in his No. 19 Dodge, was the second car to bring out a caution Read the rest of this entry »

Race Reviews

Racing, Wrecking, Winning — For Moms

Posted by Penni On May - 14 - 2008

Mother’s Day Weekend —another short weekend — proved to be almost as interesting as the weekend before in Richmond, though when the race was done the “Lady in Black” seemed to have been tamed.

Practice sessions and qualifying for the Nationwide and Sprint Cup races were no indication of that at all.

Darlington has always been referred to as the track “too tough to tame.” It’s new surface had some thinking it was impossible to master.

Many drivers had contact with the wall during the practice sessions and qualifying. Some of the cars had minor damage; others had enough damage to cause them to change to a backup car. Some damaged both cars. Read the rest of this entry »

Race Reviews

Things That Go Bump In The Night

Posted by Penni On May - 7 - 2008

Richmond was night racing in all its glory.

The first Richmond race is always the shortest race weekend; it doesn’t include any of the non-points races. Everything is done in a single day, with the exception of the Sprint Cup race.

The Nationwide and Cup series have one two-hour practice session each in the morning and both series qualify toward the middle of the afternoon. The Nationwide race starts immediately after Cup qualifying.

The Nationwide race began with Kasey Kahne’s No. 9 Lipton Dodge on the pole, which was interesting (but not in a bad way) considering Lipton was the sponsor of the race — the Lipton Tea 250.

Despite Kahne’s great qualifying attempt, his race attempt didn’t fair so well. Kahne would only lead the first 17 laps before Carl Edwards, in the No. 99 Ford, took the lead for 126 laps. Kahne ended up in the wall, with help from another driver, on lap 158. He would finish the race at 14 and on the lead lap. Read the rest of this entry »

Race Reviews

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