Written by Monte Dutton Sat, 2016-06-18 13:49
Most of the time, I write this column trying to make its points with humor.
This has not been a funny week.
Have no fear. I shan't delve into politics. Oh, wait. NASCAR has politics. Everything has politics. Another name should be invented for people who seek or hold government office. The world makes politicians of us all.
Written by Tom Higgins Wed, 2016-06-15 12:31
I never have heard the eruption of a volcano.
However, decibels that I imagine might be relative to such an explosion roared into my ears and those of approximately 45,000 others on June 15, 1986. The sound emanated from a cheering crowd at Michigan International Speedway just prior to the start of the Gabriel 400.
The applause and hurrahs that swept over the 2-mile track in the Irish Hills that day were for Richard Petty, who was set to make his 1,000th NASCAR Cup Series start, a remarkable achievement. As another Father’s Day approaches next month and NASCAR’s top teams gather once again in Michigan for the Firekeepers Casino 400, the story of what happened bears repeating.
by Kelli Bennett Mon, 2016-06-13 08:01
Sunday afternoon's Firekeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway proved to be dominated by the sport's young guns with the most veteran of NASCAR's youth movement, Joey Logano, grabbing his 15th Sprint Cup victory at just 26 years old.
Logano, who started from the pole and led 138 of the race's 200 laps, believes his team helped keep him ahead of the curve when it came to NASCAR's developing rules packages.
"I didn't win, we won as a team," Logano explained. "You know, it was an amazing team effort from Friday or when we unloaded with this rules package. You don't know what you're up against when you barrel down into Turn 1 the first time, and you say, oh, my God, they weren't kidding about that small spoiler on the back of it, and you start to -- everyone started working on the car, able to put the thing on the pin to start the race and be able to stay up in the top two the whole race. It goes to show that not only did we have a fast race car, you've seen a lot of times a fast race car doesn't win the race all the time, you've got to execute throughout it.
"Seeing the strategy that (cre
Written by Monte Dutton Wed, 2016-06-08 08:25
Right now, I'm thinking this is the best time of the year, not because the 400-miler at Pocono Raceway was rained out till Monday, or that Kurt Busch won an interesting affair, but, rather, because I just finished mowing two lawns, my mother's and mine, and the blackberries are ripe.
It won't last but a short time. This morning my hot laps were on a riding mower, and nothing today, and quite possibly this week, is going to beat the experience of sitting on that mower, sweating, popping a fistful of berries into my mouth and listening to Guy Clark sing "Homegrown Tomatoes" on an iPod.
By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Media Tue, 2016-06-07 23:02
Working with a substitute crew chief, and saving enough fuel to get to the finish line and complete a celebratory burnout, Kurt Busch won Monday’s rain-delayed Axalta "We Paint Winners" 400 at Pocono Raceway.
Busch won for the first time this year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and for the third time at Pocono, a 2.5-mile speedway featuring three widely different corners. And Busch claimed his 28th victory in NASCAR’s premier series with race engineer John Klausmeier leading the team in place of crew chief Tony Gibson, who was serving a one-race suspension for a lug nut violation last week at Charlotte.
Told he was two laps short at the start of the final 33-lap green-flag run, Busch saved enough fuel to get to the finish while keeping race runner-up Dale Earnhardt Jr. behind him.
Written by Monte Dutton Sat, 2016-06-04 10:30
Your favorite driver never wins a boring race.
I thought the Coca-Cola 600 was a boring race. I noticed many facts to back it up. For instance, the race was 600 miles. One driver led 588. I really could go on and on, but people have been going on and on ever since it ended, so there's plenty of material that others besides silly old me have written, and I've grown tired of it.
Martin Truex Jr. fans figuratively think he won it side-by-side, upside-down, over Joey Logano on one and Kyle Busch the other, with flames from the tire wells of his Toyota matching the hue of the orange on its sides.
Written by Tom Higgins Tue, 2016-05-31 13:24
Dawn, June 6, 1944.
Seventy-two years ago.
Unable to sleep, Cpl. Walter E. "Bud" Moore arises and goes on deck of the landing craft that he and other members of the 90th Infantry Division, 359th Regiment, D Company, First Platoon have been aboard since June 1.
After the troops, attached to the Fourth Infantry Division, were taken on at Liverpool, the ship moved a few hundred yards from the dock and anchored. The soldiers are told a force is being assembled for an exercise assault somewhere on the English coast.
By Kelli Bennett Tue, 2016-05-31 12:44
There was no competition for Martin Truex, Jr, during Sunday evening’s running of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, there were only 39 other cars sharing track time. Truex led 392 of the race’s 400 laps which totals to a NASCAR record 588 total miles led.
Truex, Jr, who led the most laps in this race one year ago only to miss out on the victory on a fuel-mileage race, was still attempting to take in the surreal experience in victory lane following the race.
by Susan Wade Sun, 2016-05-29 20:57
Michael Andretti and his famous family had tried for three generations to shake their Indianapolis Motor Speedway jinx.
Ironically, he got a measure of satisfaction Sunday when 24-year-old rookie Alexander Rossi – who never had seen the iconic racetrack until Easter Sunday, in March – won the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race.
Running on fumes and prayer, Rossi mastered the 100th running of the Memorial Day classic in the No. 98 NAPA Auto Parts/ Curb Honda for Andretti Autosport before an estimated crowd of about 400,000.
By Kelli Bennett Sun, 2016-05-29 07:14
On the eve of NASCAR’s longest day fans in attendance for Saturday afternoon’s Hisense 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway were treated to one of the more thrilling finishes of the 2016 XFINITY series season. Denny Hamlin, driving the No. 18 Hisense USA Toyota, outlasted a hard charge from Sprint Cup regulars Kyle Larson and former teammate Joey Logano.
Hamlin restarted in sixth for the race’s final restart on lap 205 but he did so with a special plan. The 2015 Sprint All-Star race winner was the first driver on four fresh Goodyear Eagles and it showed as he blew by his counterparts, Larson and Logano, who were on older rubber. So who made the gutsy call to come take tires? Hamlin says it was a team effort.
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