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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

A Sweet Taste Of Victory

Posted by Penni On April - 30 - 2008

The weekend that was Talladega, known for it’s “big one,” was not only enjoyable to watch but also full of victories, could-have-been wins and chances blown away.

Talladega was the first impound race of the season. That meant, after the final practice session Friday, they’d have to qualify Saturday. If they didn’t have it figured out yet, they’d have to wait until the race. Usually, when the race isn’t an impound race (i.e. Daytona, Talladega, or Richmond) the teams set their cars up for qualifying during the first practice session and with the next practice session(s) they set it up for the race.

With impound races, most of the teams, who were already in on owner points, set their cars up for the race and weren’t betting on the best starting position. And those teams that were on the “outside looking in” focused mainly on getting their cars in and not on race setup. The top five cars and drivers for the starting lineup gave evidence of that. Read the rest of this entry »

Race Reviews

Early Predictions Of A Novice

Posted by Penni On April - 23 - 2008

I know it may be a little early for this, but I thought I’d share my predictions for the rest of the season. Maybe in doing so, I can give you a little more insight as to who my favorite driver is — or maybe not.

He may have it in him, but I don’t think Jimmie Johnson will actually win a third championship in a row. I don’t think he’ll drop out of the Top 12 in points, either. He’s high enough up and he’s got very “Jimmie Johnson friendly” tracks up ahead.

I’m sure he’s going to win a few more races. What would the season be if Johnson didn’t win a handful of races and wasn’t a threat to win? Read the rest of this entry »

Race Reviews

The Desert, The Night And The Usual Suspects

Posted by Penni On April - 16 - 2008

The weekend started a day, or rather night, earlier than usual, with a Cup practice session, both Nationwide practice sessions and Cup qualifying.

During qualifying, Ryan “Rocketman” Newman was able to put his No. 12 Alltel Dodge on the pole and starting second, beside him, was Elliott Sadler in the No. 19 Best Buy Dodge. Sadler and his Gillett Evernham Motorsports (GEM) teammate, Kasey Kahne, No. 9 Budweiser Dodge, teams brought brand new cars to the track. A fact that was evident, with Kahne sitting fifth in the lineup.

Carl Edwards, No. 99 Aflac Ford, and Mark Martin, No. 8 U.S. Army Chevrolet, rounded out the top five. However, the three Dodges wouldn’t fair very well in Saturday’s race. Read the rest of this entry »

Race Reviews

Third Time Is The Charm

Posted by Penni On April - 9 - 2008

The Samsung 500 at the Great American Speedway — apparently the new name for Texas Motor Speedway — wasn’t the best race, so far, this season. Not much happened during the race.

That wasn’t the same for Sprint Cup qualifying two days before.

Michael McDowell, driver of the No. 00 Aaron’s Toyota, began his first lap in his qualifying attempt. As he turned into the corner, it appeared the car got loose and he over-corrected it by “hooking to the right,” said McDowell on The Today Show Monday. In doing so, he went straight into the wall.

Due to the tremendous amount of speed, once the car initially hit the wall, it flew up and barrel-rolled several times. “I counted seven,” Read the rest of this entry »

Race Reviews

Win, Lose Or Drive

Posted by Penni On April - 2 - 2008

Wasn’t the first day of spring a good week before the race? Yes, I believe it was! It wasn’t very apparent if you were watching the race coverage throughout the weekend. Once again, this thing called indecisive weather, played games with the drivers (and us).

The weekend appeared to be better than before — no rain in sight — at least for the first half of the weekend.

During Friday’s qualifying, all the teams were on their a-game. The drivers seated below the top 35 in owner points were sitting on edge and stepping up. The starting lineup was evident of that. Read the rest of this entry »

Race Reviews

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