Tue, 2017-04-25 14:19
Martin Truex Jr.’s overall performance at this time of the season is outperforming any of his previous years in NASCAR’s elite series, including last year when he was one of the hottest drivers on the circuit.
After eight NASCAR Cup Series races, Truex is ahead of 2016 in wins at one (0 at same time last year), top fives at two (one), top 10s at five (two), laps led at 432 (198), average start 9.9 (12.4) and average finish at 8.6 (13.0).
Tue, 2017-04-25 11:31
After 18 seasons and more than 600 races behind the wheel, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will bring his NASCAR Cup Series driving career to a close at the conclusion of 2017. Today, he shared the news with members of his No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports team.
The fan favorite and two-time Daytona 500 champion will discuss his decision in a press conference this afternoon. He will be joined by Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick, for whom Earnhardt has driven since 2008. The two first met about the driver’s decision on March 29.
by Bobby Bennett Tue, 2017-04-25 08:25
Seriously helped by a late race caution, Jimmie Johnson powered ahead to win the rain delayed Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Clint Bowyer finished second, his best in several years, followed by Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth and Joey Logano.Kyle Larson, Chase Ellioytty, Martin Truex Jr., Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Denny Hamlin rounded out the top ten. Ty Dillon was the highest finishing rookie.
Larson contributes to lead the point standings with 360 points, 27 ahead of Chase Elliott. Truex, Jr, Logano and Keselowski round out the top five. Johnson, Jamie McMurray, Bowyer, Harvick and Tyan Blaney round out the top ten.
Written by Monte Dutton Sat, 2017-04-22 19:01
The first time I went to Bristol, I was seven. The last time (at least to date), I was 56. NASCAR changed just as much.
On the day that Ned Jarrett won the 1965 Volunteer 500, the grandstands reminded me of a large high school football stadium. Little asphalt-paved paths led up inclines on each side. People huffed and puffed as they hoisted their ice chests and picnic baskets and trudged up the bank. Nothing was on rollers back then. The turns were lightly banked. Five hundred laps were more than enough to excite me.
The next time I went to Bristol, it was to write about it. It was the day after Alan Kulwicki’s death on a nearby hillside. I watched most of Busch (now Xfinity) qualifying from behind the gate in the second turn. From that vantage, it reminded me of a pinball machine. A year or two later, Bud Moore used that term when I informed him that NASCAR was about to increase the size of short-track starting fields from 36 to 43.
Written by Monte Dutton Wed, 2017-04-12 08:46
Happy Easter, everyone!
In a way, an open Easter is sort of the last vestige of the old NASCAR ways. Once the Lords of Daytona Beach held Mother’s Day open, too, reasoning that moms would be disgruntled if daddies hustled off the young’uns to some track.
“We’ll all go, Ruth Ann. It’ll be fun.”
Then the Lords took Labor Day away from Darlington, plugged the Granddaddy of Them All in the night before Mother’s Day – you’ll take it and you’ll smile! – and, against all odds and the Lords’ secret wishes, Darlington not only made Mother’s Day a success, it regained control of Labor Day.
Tue, 2017-04-11 14:40
As the engines fired, the lightbulbs buzzed – a first for the annual non-points extravaganza. Never before had an all-star race been run under the lights. Dubbed “One Hot Night,” the 1992 race signaled a new era, one that became tradition for the fan-favorite event.
And now, 25 years later, past meets present … as another new era begins with the first all-star race under the Monster Energy banner.
by Bobby Bennett Mon, 2017-04-10 12:08
There was only one way for Jimmie Johnson and the crew of the #48 Lowe's Chevrolet to raise their heads at smile after struggles on Friday at Texas Motor Speedway. They needed to win, which exactly what the team did after starting last in the O'Reilly Auto Parts 500.
“I guess I remembered how to drive, and I guess this team remembered how to do it!,” stated Johnson from Victory Lane. “I’m just real proud of this team. What a tough track and tough conditions. We were really in our wheelhouse, and we were just able to execute all day.
“ Oh, it was hot in (the car). I got cooked in the car today. I didn’t have any fluids, so I’m not feeling the best, but we got into Victory Lane. I’m so proud of the fight in this race team. I can’t wait to celebrate during this off-weekend with my family and friends and enjoy this.”
Written by Monte Dutton Sat, 2017-04-08 19:00
I love Martinsville Speedway. It’s the same way I love Darlington, not to mention Fenway Park, Ryman Auditorium and Wilder Stadium (where I played high school ball).
Martinsville was a place I never went until 1993, when I was 35 years old. I then wrote about 39 more races in a row until I lost my ride in 2013.
Back then, H. Clay Earles held a genial sway in the press box. A little pond was situated behind turns three and four. Dogwood trees were everywhere, blooming in the spring. I can name dozens of baseball parks that are charming. Martinsville was the first speedway that deserved the adjective.
By Bobby Bennett Mon, 2017-04-03 09:22
In the final 50 laps of the STP 500 at Martinsville (Na) Speedway Brad Keselowski outran a failing Kyle Busch to collect his first “Grandfather” Clock trophy in what was revealed as the 1,000th Cup Series start for Team Penske.
The win was also the first for Ford Performance since the fall race in 2002 at the 526-mile racetrack which is the only track to be at the top level of NASCAR racing since the start of the company. The win was also the second of the season for Keselowski, both coming on tracks where he had yet to post a victory.
“You know, the two wins this year have both come at tracks that I haven't won at before and we haven't won at as a team before, so certainly that feels really good to be able to check something off the list, and with everything else that goes into today, there seemed to be a lot of numerology today with this being the Penske team's 1,000th start here in this series, and it's been a long time since Ford won here,” stated Keselowski when ask about the special moments attached to the win.
Written by Monte Dutton Sat, 2017-04-01 07:55
When I watch the races on TV these days, I can think about them. The down side is I don’t make much money. The upside is I don’t have to busy myself with scribbles on notepads about the running order for a green-flag pit sequence, why the driver of the 68 car is apparently a lunatic, and what in the wide, wide world of Smokey Yunick is Chad Knaus going to try next?
I can seek “the big picture.” I can think “outside the box.” I can find “where the rubber meets the road.” I can attain “transparency,” which used to mean I could see right through someone but now means, magically, that such a person is open and honest.
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