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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

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

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