Wednesday, October 8th, 2008
Talladega proved to be just as exciting as it has always been. There was the “big one,” times two, a first time winner and of course some beating and banging.
The “big one” was multiplied times two Sunday and each was equally damaging to the two sets of drivers.
The first “big one” happened on lap 63 with Brian Vickers, the leader of the middle row of cars, who was battling for the lead with all the other cars on the frontstretch when his right front tire exploded. The explosion sent his No. 83 Toyota into the left side of Martin Truex Jr.’s No. 1 Chevrolet and many cars and drivers searching for clarity. (more…)
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Wednesday, July 16th, 2008
As the revolving door of NASCAR spins, there is at least one door that is closed in order for a new door to be opened.
Tony Stewart made it official Thursday. He’ll be part owner (50 percent) of HAAS CNC Racing and he’ll drive for his new team, Stewart-HAAS Racing when this season is over. This also meant he’d return to Chevrolet.
The announcement had been inevitable since all the talk was started, but more when Joe Gibbs Racing announced Wednesday that they would let Stewart out of his contract after the current season. Stewart’s contract was signed until the end of 2009.
During Thursday’s press conference, the worried, or rather disgusted look that was apparent on Stewart’s face since the middle of March was gone. He smiled and chuckled as he made the announcement. (more…)
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Wednesday, July 9th, 2008
The Fourth of July weekend is full of food, fun and fireworks.
To a race fan, the Fourth means all this and more. It means NASCAR makes it way back to Daytona for the annual Pepsi 400. However this year, with Coca-Cola taking over as the ‘Official Cola of NASCAR’ the Pepsi 400 was renamed the Coke Zero 400.
It also means any driver has the best possibility to win under the lights. Of course there are the drivers that excel at Daytona International Speedway, but there are always those drivers, or that driver, that surprises even their biggest fan(s).
Who were you rooting for too win Saturday night? (more…)
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Wednesday, June 11th, 2008
Pocono races tend to be very uninteresting.
Anything you want to see typically happens early and maybe at the end. There isn’t usually anything “that interesting” in the middle, just a whole lot of racing. This weekend was no exception.
During Friday’s Cup practice session and qualifying, it was Kasey Kahne’s No. 9 Dodge on top. Kahne picked up his first pole of the season; he was the only driver to top 170 miles per hour around the tri-oval that is known as Pocono Raceway.
“It was perfect,” Kahne said after taking his qualifying laps.
Kahne continued to call his car “perfect” throughout both of Saturday’s practice sessions in which he was in the Top Five. (more…)
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Wednesday, April 30th, 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. (more…)
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Wednesday, April 23rd, 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? (more…)
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Wednesday, April 9th, 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,” (more…)
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