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  • What NASCAR needs: Words fail me

    What NASCAR needs: This. That was so totally rule. [...]
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    Posted: February 13, 2009, 11:05am EST

  • What NASCAR needs: Shorter races

    I like racing. But four hours of racing at one time? Ack. College basketball clocks in at right about two hours. The NBA? About 2 to two-and-a-half hours. (And all you really need to watch is the fourth quarter anyway.) Pro football is long -- about three hours and change. [...]
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    Posted: February 11, 2009, 1:59pm EST

  • What NASCAR needs: A new points system

    Points. They're the lifeblood of sports. A run is 1 point. (Technically, it's one run, but bear with me here.) A touchdown is 7 (when you include the extra point.) A goal is one in pretty much every sport you play. A field goal is two (in basketball, unless it's [...]
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    Posted: February 06, 2009, 11:42am EST

  • What NASCAR needs: Better qualifying

    NASCAR's qualifying is pretty simple, right? Go fast or go home. Except if you're in the top 35 of owner (not driver) points or if you're a past champion. And if you're not one of those and it rains, you're outta here unless your owner rolled a piece-of-crap car out [...]
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    Posted: February 05, 2009, 10:45am EST

  • What NASCAR needs: A shorter season, part 2

    The current NASCAR season is 36 races. It hasn't always been that long. Or as short. Twenty years ago, when Crusty Wallace won his one and only championship, the 1989 Cup season was 29 races long. Thirty years ago, the '79 season was 31 races long, and it didn't start in' [...]
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    Posted: February 05, 2009, 8:56am EST

  • What NASCAR needs: A shorter season

    The NASCAR season is too long. There should be absolutely no debate about that. It starts sometime after lunch on Feb. 15. It ends well after dinner on Nov. 22. That's a lot An entire Major League Baseball season will be played in between those dates. An entire human baby can [...]
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    Posted: February 04, 2009, 1:23pm EST

  • What NASCAR needs

    NASCAR needs a major overhaul. It needs: * A shorter season (Part 2) * Go-fast-or-go-home qualifying * A new points system * Shorter races * More and different tracks * An old-is-new way to decide your season champion. Assuming we don't get a blizzard before lunch today, check back this afternoon' [...]
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    Posted: February 04, 2009, 8:37am EST

  • Simple answers: Is this how it ends?

    If you're Petty Enterprises, a small team with no wins in years, yes, it apparently ends with an unsourced three-paragraph blurb on Sports Illustrated's Web site. Petty Enterprises 1949-2008 10 Cup championships Millions of fans Loved by all R.I.P. [...]
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    Posted: December 04, 2008, 2:07pm EST

  • Simple answers to stupid NASCAR questions: DEI edition

    With Paul Menard and (probably) his sponsor bolting for Yates, is DEI toast? Yes, yes it is. Losing the guy who's 28th in points and has one career top-10 finish isn't such a big deal -- Casey Mears and Reed Sorenson both got canned for in-the-same-ballpark performance. But losing [...]
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    Posted: October 01, 2008, 10:33am EDT

  • Stupid answers: Fontana edition

    Is there any reason to watch Sunday's race at Fontucky? Absolutely not. I saw a Roush guy when last Saturday night, thanks. Wake me when it's time for the Richmond race. This has been another edition of "Stupid Answers to Stupid NASCAR questions." [...]
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    Posted: August 29, 2008, 2:21pm EDT

  • Simple answers: Ganassi edition

    Is Chip Ganassi Racing doomed? Reed Sorenson left for Gillett Evernham. Dario Franchitti's team folded. JPM has only half a season of sponsorship in 2009. So in short: Yep. Everyone knows how well one-car teams do in Cup. [...]
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    Posted: August 26, 2008, 2:24pm EDT

  • Simple answers to stupid NASCAR questions: Indy edition

    Was Sunday's race at Indy the stupidest thing you've ever seen? No. But it was in the top 5 all-time. Read Dustin's take if you haven't. This has been another edition of Stupid Answers to Stupid NASCAR Questions. Next week, we tackle the question, Does Goodyear have its collective [...]
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    Posted: July 28, 2008, 12:13pm EDT

  • Small Team Standings: Going to Indy

    The last time we checked in on the Small Team Standings, your leader was Travis Kvapil. But that was about six weeks and six races ago, and in the interim Kvapil remember who he was and that he drives for Yates and has dropped way down in the rankings. [...]
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    Posted: July 22, 2008, 12:27pm EDT

  • Simple answers to stupid questions: N.C politics edition

    Do NASCAR drivers and owners hate Democrats? Why, no, no they don't. In all seriousness, though, it's no surprise that Rick Hendrick, Ray Evernham and Felix Sabates, et al, would kick cash to both the GOP and Dem candidates for governor. Their hearts may be with Pat McCrory, but [...]
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    Posted: July 17, 2008, 10:29am EDT

  • Five Laps: Back from the beach edition

    You go away for a couple weeks, and a ton of stuff happens. Here goes: Lap 1: Shrub continues to tear it up. Chicagoland was his seventh win this season to give him 11 for his career. The key to his latest win? Check out the videotape at about [...]
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    Posted: July 16, 2008, 3:32pm EDT

  • FIVE LAPS: Pass/fail edition

    Lap 1: Kyle Busch drove Sonoma on Sunday like he was on a rail. Nobody was going to catch him, not even Four Time on his best days at Sonoma. That was impressive. PASS. Lap 2: I'm with the Dude on this. Last year's Sonoma race was full of suspense. [...]
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    Posted: June 23, 2008, 2:46pm EDT

  • Simple answers to stupid questions: Sonoma edition

    Today's stupid question: Will a road-course ringer win Sunday's race at Sonoma? No. This has been another answer of Simple Answers to Stupid NASCAR questions. ... [...]
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    Posted: June 19, 2008, 2:34pm EDT

  • FIVE LAPS: Junior wins!

    One word: Finally. It was good to see the Hendrick cars more or less kept up with the pack *and* getting good mileage. It's hard to do both, but it seemed to work Sunday at Michigan. Let's go to the numbers: Lap 1: Believe it or not, Junior's 76-race winless streak [...]
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    Posted: June 17, 2008, 3:00pm EDT

  • FIVE LAPS: Pocono in the rear view

    What stood out this weekend: Lap 1: Kyle Busch is not perfect. Second Friday night at the Truck race at Texas, 20th (and three laps down) at the Buschwide race at Nashville on Saturday night, then dead last on Sunday at Pocono in his Cup car. His 43rd at Pocono dropped [...]
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    Posted: June 09, 2008, 3:55pm EDT

  • If small teams ruled the world ...

    ... your points leader would be Travis Kvapil! Kvapil used to baffle me. Back in 2005, Penske gave him the keys to the No. 77. Kvapil, on paper at least, looked like a decent choice -- five wins and four straight top 10 season finishes in the Truck series, including [...]
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    Posted: June 05, 2008, 12:11pm EDT

  • FIVE LAPS: Between Dover and Pocono

    Assorted randomness ... Lap 1: Mike wrestles with the Jamie McMurray-as-odd-man-out-at Roush here, and AOL does much the same here. (McMurray, meanwhile, says he's sticking around.) The calculus is pretty simple for Roush, which needs to shut down one of its five teams to get to NASCAR's max [...]
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    Posted: June 04, 2008, 1:38pm EDT

  • FIVE LAPS: Heading to Dover

    Oh, boy! One of the worst parts of the season is coming up. LAP 1: Dover had it right when it cut 100 miles off its race in 1997. You think maybe Pocono and Michigan can do the same? Five hundred miles of PocoNO! and another 400 miles at Michigan [...]
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    Posted: May 30, 2008, 12:28pm EDT

  • If small teams ruled the world: LMS edition

    There's a change at the top. Bobby Labonte, thanks to an 11th-place finish Sunday night in Charlotte, vaults over both Travil Kvapil and last week's No. 1 Brian Vickers for 1st place in the Small Team Standings. Sadly, Labonte is 18th when you factor in the Big Team drivers. Which [...]
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    Posted: May 28, 2008, 12:37pm EDT

  • Simple answers: Kentucky Speedway edition

    Today's edition of "Simple Answers to Stupid NASCAR Questions:" Does NASCAR need another 1.5 mile track on its schedule? No, no it doesn't. [...]
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    Posted: May 22, 2008, 10:45am EDT

  • Simple Answers to Stupid NASCAR Questions

    Would Kyle Busch run this go-kart into the fence to gain a position? kyle%20busch%20052008.jpg Yes, yes he would. This has been another edition of "Simple Answers To Stupid NASCAR Questions." [...]
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    Posted: May 20, 2008, 11:22am EDT

  • FIVE LAPS: After the All-Star race

    There's a certain irony to the Bud car winning a race before Junior. But it didn't really count, so there. Lap 1: Shhhhh! Jay "From the Marbles" Busbee is still asleep after Saturday night's race. Dustin Long breaks down the weekend's most boring race. And if you're still [...]
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    Posted: May 19, 2008, 1:04pm EDT

  • If small teams ruled the world ...

    Random Small Team news ... * Petty Enterprises announced Kyle's summer subs: Terry Labonte will drive five races, and Chad McCumbee will do two. (Release.) The fact that McCumbee (one of the 2007 subs) is back is good news for him and his career, though I suspect he wants [...]
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    Posted: May 14, 2008, 3:41pm EDT

  • FIVE LAPS: Two days after Darlington

    Some random thoughts after a wild night at Darlington ... Lap 1: Yes, Shrub can wheel a race car. There's never been much doubt about that. But the way the guy won Saturday night was scary. He had the loose lug nut problem early, then bounced the car off the [...]
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    Posted: May 12, 2008, 1:40pm EDT

  • If small teams ruled the world ...

    Here are your Small Team Standings after the Richmond race. Bobby Labonte (13th at Richmond) made up a ton of ground on Brian Vickers (28th). David Gilliland (41st) was your big loser and dropped from second to fourth. Look who squeezed into the top 10 -- Furniture Row Joe! But [...]
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    Posted: May 07, 2008, 10:15am EDT

  • FIVE LAP: Primal scream Monday

    My daily 5 a.m. wake-up calls mean that I'm fried after 10 p.m. and comatose by 11, which means I didn't make it to the end of the Richmond race. But I'm glad I missed it, because I think my house would have been down at least one TV set. [...]
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    Posted: May 05, 2008, 12:10pm EDT

  • Five laps: Friday at Richmond

    Welcome to the (mostly) All-Earnhardt edition of The Spotter because Senior would have been 57 on Tuesday: Lap 1: Ah, Richmond -- the second-best race on the schedule. (First: Richmond in the fall, the race before the cutoff for the Chase.) It's also the place where Junior won his last [...]
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    Posted: May 02, 2008, 11:10am EDT

  • If small teams ruled the world ...

    Brian Vickers opens up a lead on the rest of the field after a wild 'Dega race that saw Brian Vickers get a top 5 and four (!) other Small Teamers (Kvapil, R. Gordon, Gilliland, Riggs) crack the top 20. One of those running well was *not* Bobby Labonte, who [...]
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    Posted: April 30, 2008, 1:42pm EDT

  • FIVE LAPS: Talladega week

    Here goes: Lap 1: It's about time NASCAR took away a win for cheating (or, more technically, a rules violation. This case seems more stupid than intentional). The argument against doing that has traditionally been the fans and the sponsors and all the money that's tied up in both. [...]
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    Posted: April 24, 2008, 12:35pm EDT

  • FIVE LAPS: Going off on an off week

    Must have been something I ate, but I'm in a foul mood. Maybe it's the inane debate over NASCAR's drug policy. Remember, it took the death of the sport's biggest star for NASCAR to finally do something serious about safety. NASCAR is running the same play ("We're NASCAR and we [...]
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    Posted: April 17, 2008, 11:10am EDT

  • If small teams ruled the world ...

    Bobby Labonte has caught Brian Vickers for the lead among the small-team drivers thanks to a 12th-place finish at Phoenix. (Vickers was 25th.) David Gilliland (15th) was the only other Small Teamer in the top 20. Four other drivers swapped spots farther down in the rankings. Top 10 Small Team [...]
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    Posted: April 15, 2008, 10:09am EDT

  • FIVE LAPS: Post Phoenix

    A look back at the madness: Lap 1: That wasn't one of the estimated 16.5 million major league baseball games scheduled for 2008 on my TV when I tuned in Saturday night for the race, was it? It was? Really? Did Fox delay the start of the race so it could [...]
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    Posted: April 14, 2008, 1:13pm EDT

  • FIVE LAPS: Pre-Phoenix

    First Saturday night race of the season. Whee! Lap 1: This ESPN piece about Aaron Fike is a great little piece of journalism. Props to Ryan McGee for doing such a nice job on the story. But I don't think this is the thing that will shake NASCAR to its [...]
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    Posted: April 11, 2008, 11:10am EDT

  • If Small Teams ruled the world ...

    No change in the top 9 from last week as the top 4 all finished in the top 20 and everyone else finished toward the back. The only change this week was that Skinner squeezed into the 10th spot. Kyle Petty, who now has a two week sitting-atop-the-hauler streak, dropped [...]
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    Posted: April 08, 2008, 1:11pm EDT

  • FIVE LAPS: Monday after Texas

    Some post-race thoughts: Lap 1: Why is Michael McDowell not dead? That's a rhetorical question, of course, but that was one hard hit. SAFER barrier, HANS Device, COT -- take a bow. Lap 2: Yep, that was Jeff Gordon finishing 43rd. Sadly, because I'm a Junior fan, it hurts a little [...]
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    Posted: April 07, 2008, 2:50pm EDT

  • FIVE LAPS: Friday at Texas

    The weekend's almost here. Let's get to it. Lap 1: The weather doesn't look great at Texas today - showers in the morning, cloudy in the afternoon. The three people who are praying for sunshine: Patrick Carpentier, Burney Lamar and John Andretti. Eight others who are praying for rain include Sam [...]
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    Posted: April 04, 2008, 11:35am EDT

  • FIVE LAPS: Heading to Texas

    Lots of Small Team news this week. Let's get to it. Lap 1: When Petty moved its shop to Mooresville this year, it was billed as the start of something new. Now it looks like the beginning of the end, or maybe the middle of the end. Kyle Petty missed Sunday's [...]
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    Posted: April 02, 2008, 2:55pm EDT

  • If small teams ruled the world ...

    Here are your weekly Small Team Standings after Martinsville. Your big mover was Travis "Can I Haz Sponzerz Plz?" Kvapil, who motored home 18th and moved up two spots to fourth. Brian Vickers added a point to his lead over B-Lab. Kyle Petty held on to 10th despite missing Sunday's [...]
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    Posted: April 01, 2008, 11:55am EDT

  • FIVE LAPS: Martinsville Monday

    Lap 1: Props to Denny Hamlin for winning Sunday. And props to anyone who sat through the thing outside. (Roanoke's Aaron McFarling shows his respect here.) I half expected the jet blowers to have snowplows strapped to the front just in case. And was it actually drizzling during the [...]
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    Posted: March 31, 2008, 12:45pm EDT

  • FIVE LAPS: Friday at Martinsville

    Lap 1: The best thing you'll read all weekend is Dustin Long's interview with Kyle Petty. (This is the latest in his series of what used to be called "In Their Words." Stop now and go read it. I'll wait. Lap 2: I used to pick on Jason Leffler for [...]
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    Posted: March 28, 2008, 1:53pm EDT

  • FIVE LAPS: Martinsville mid-week

    Oh, I love me some Martinsville. Let me count the ways: Lap One: That little paper clip about 45 minutes north of here produces some good, good racing. It rewards the patient and the resourceful and punishes the rash and the foolish. Take care of your stuff, and your stuff will [...]
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    Posted: March 26, 2008, 12:45pm EDT

  • If small teams ruled the world ...

    I might have ditched the STRs (don't ask if you don't remember), but I'm sticking with the Small Team Standings. Why? Why not? It's an exercise in nothing-ness. Then again, most of blogging is nothing but nothing. Got that? Good. The pre-Martinsville standings are after the jump. [...]
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    Posted: March 24, 2008, 3:37pm EDT

  • FIVE LAPS: Guitar Town pre-race

    We're heading to the Carl Edwards Speedway in Nashville for Saturday's Busch Nationwide Buschwide race. The Cupsters are off, so we're forced to preview the Buschwide event. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing: The race will have a lot of new and different drivers who will find all sorts of [...]
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    Posted: March 21, 2008, 12:45pm EDT

  • Links of interest: Day-after update

    I've updated the Pros and Joes to reflect one correction and some other blogs. On the Pros side, I corrected the Jade Gurss entry to note that he's no longer on the Junior gravy train. He e-mailed to say he's now working for KHI and Petty. I also [...]
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    Posted: March 20, 2008, 9:05am EDT

  • FIVE LAPS: Mid-week off week

    I've done to the STRs and the BTRs what Red Bull did to AJ Allmendinger: Fired them. Technically it's temporary, but you know and I know that AJA should just leave his form-fitting custom seat at home instead of hauling it to the track, especially since the airlines are starting [...]
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    Posted: March 19, 2008, 6:30pm EDT

  • Links of interest: Joes

    Here's round 2 of the blogs I pay attention to that *aren't* affiliated with media sites. These are rank amateurs who write about racin' because they can and because they want to. Some of them might be getting paid, but that's not the point. The folks on this list aren't [...]
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    Posted: March 19, 2008, 1:30pm EDT

  • Links of interest: Pros

    You see the list of NASCAR blogs on the right side of the page? Keep going down. ... Farther. ... Keep going. ... Yep, that's it. All the way down there. I'm going to try something different, which is why there are two links now instead of a few dozen. [...]
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    Posted: March 19, 2008, 1:26pm EDT

  • STRs, Week 4

    Small Team fans have to be pulling for Brian Vickers, whose ninth-place finish at Atlanta vaulted him into ninth in the standings. And new teammate Mike Skinner shows why team owners love the retreads: He got the 84 in the race (something that AJA couldn't do) and brought it home [...]
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    Posted: March 13, 2008, 8:00pm EDT

  • BTRs: Week 4

    The Atlanta race: Teh stink. Tony Stewart's post-race rant: Epic. Say what you want about the Goodyears and Sunday's race, but you have to give props to Shrub and Fat Tony for finishing 1-2 at AMS, where the NHL will be playing its outdoor game next year. Those two might be [...]
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    Posted: March 13, 2008, 9:57am EDT

  • If small teams ruled the world: Week 4

    Small-Teamer of the week: Brian Vickers (Red Bull) finished ninth for his first top 10 of the year. He's now ninth in points. No. of Small Team drivers who finished in the top 20 at Atlanta: Three, as usual. Vickers (9th), Bobby Labonte (12th) and Scott Riggs (18th). I'm beginning [...]
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    Posted: March 11, 2008, 10:37am EDT

  • Two penalties and the STRs

    The big news this week: Carl Edwards gave up 100 points to Robby Gordon. Or that's how it ended up. Edwards got nailed for a loose oil pan lid, which helped explain why his car ran on a rail Sunday. Gordon got a reprieve from a Small Team death [...]
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    Posted: March 06, 2008, 2:54pm EST

  • Big Team Rankings: Week 3

    No individual team takes this week. Just some overalls: * I'm still not sure Roush Fenway is for real. Sure, Edwards has won two straight and now leads the points. Biffle's in the top 10 in points. Kenseth would have finished a lot better had Jeff Gordon not forgotten how to [...]
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    Posted: March 04, 2008, 2:45pm EST

  • If small teams ruled the world: Week 3

    Small-teamer of the week at Vegas: Travis Kvapil (Yates), who finished eighth in the Yates Racing machine. (Will a top 10 translate into some sponsorship? Eh, probably not.) Small-teamers in the top 20 in points: Three. In addition to Kvapil, Mayfield (Haas CNC) was 16th and B. Labonte (Petty) was 17th. Small-teamers [...]
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    Posted: March 03, 2008, 2:29pm EST

  • Small Team Rankings - Week 2

    Things were looking better in the world of the Small Teams: * The second straight week with three Small Teams finishing in the top 20 * Robby Gordon's 18th-place finish boosted him into 32nd in owner points, which takes a little pressure off. * If the Chase started today, Red Cow's Brian Vickers [...]
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    Posted: February 28, 2008, 12:53pm EST

  • Big Team Rankings: Week 2

    Did you watch the race? I didn't. Too many red flags, and too many laps run on Monday. (Some of us have to work, ya know.) Even I could have told you how it would have ended up: The racing will stink, one of the Roush drivers will win, the two [...]
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    Posted: February 27, 2008, 2:18pm EST

  • Small team standings

    If Small Teams ruled the world ... Top 10 after yesterday's long-delayed (and little-watched) race at Fontucky, and note the new leader (Vickers scooted past Labonte): Rank (Official) Driver (Team) ... Pts ... behind 1 (11) Brian Vickers (Red Bull) ... 257... leader 2. (16) Bobby Labonte (Petty) ... 218 ... -39 3. (20) [...]
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    Posted: February 26, 2008, 10:16am EST

  • A note on NASCAR's driver rating

    The Big Dawg has blown a gasket over the AP's change to its race result agate -- namely, that AP has dropped race winnings (i.e., the amount of money won) and replaced it with driver rating. Read his rant here. (It's the first bullet.) My say: Yay. A few responses: * If [...]
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    Posted: February 21, 2008, 10:46am EST

  • Small Team Rankings - Week 1

    Here we go with the first Small Team Rankings. Small Teams have two or fewer cars; the rankings are based on an average of NASCAR's driver ratings. (1) ROBBY GORDON STR: 72.0 Driver: Gordon-7 My take: It's always one step forward and three steps back with this team. Robby G. rode the Dodge wave [...]
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    Posted: February 21, 2008, 10:22am EST

  • BIG TEAM RANKINGS: Week 1

    Loyal readers of this space (Hi, mom! Hi, dad!) will remember my ramblings from last week about how NASCAR has become a team sport and should be treated as such. I'd like to thank Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch for proving me 1,000 percent correct on that point. Still, Kurt [...]
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    Posted: February 19, 2008, 2:17pm EST

  • Small team standings (after Daytona)

    If Big Teams didn't rule the world. Your Top 10 of the small teams ... Rk / Driver (Team)(*) / Pts-behind 1. Bobby Labonte (Petty) (10) ... 130 2. Brian Vickers (Red Bull) (12) ... -3 3. Scott Riggs (Haas CNC) (20) ... -30 4. Jeremy Mayfield (Haas CNC) (23) ... -36 5. J.J. Yeley [...]
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    Posted: February 18, 2008, 1:10pm EST

  • Small Teams preview

    After writing my opus on the big teams yesterday (my fingers are still tired, thanks for asking), I'm turning my attention to the small teams, the underfunded, overwhelmed and out-Young Gunned one- and two-car operations you don't hear much about. Pretty much all of them can be summed up this [...]
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    Posted: February 15, 2008, 11:52am EST

  • Small teams - 2007 results

    Below the jump, I've broken out the Small Team standings from 2007. (It's the standings with only drivers from one- and two-car teams.) Even within the Small Teams there's a lot of disparity. Penske finished 1-2, then Labonte, then everyone else, sort of like Dale Jarrett in yesterday's second duel. [...]
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    Posted: February 15, 2008, 11:43am EST

  • Big Team preview

    I promised a post, and it's after the jump. Do yourself a favor and get a drink or go to the bathroom or let the dog out, because it's a long one. Ready? OK. Click the link thing below. [...]
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    Posted: February 14, 2008, 4:31pm EST

  • Back at it

    After a three-month layoff and a change in job title, I'm back on the blog. My time away from the blog: I didn't have much to say, really. NASCAR had worn me out by the end of 2007, and not much interesting happened in the two weeks of the Winston/Nextel/Sprint [...]
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    Posted: February 11, 2008, 12:55pm EST

  • I can't believe I'm writing this

    I'm rooting for Jeff Gordon on Sunday. ... My hands cramped, but my fingers didn't burst into flames for typing the sentence above. Whew. Look, I'm no Gordon fan -- I rooted for Senior, now pull for Junior and am troubled to no end that Junior will be joining the Evil [...]
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    Posted: November 16, 2007, 12:16pm EST

  • Clutch

    Now that Jimmie Johnson has won four straight and lapped the Chase field, you might as well cancel Sunday's race - who really wants to see Greg Biffle win his fourth straight Homestead race - and give Johnson the 2007 trophy. Assuming Johnson comes into Sunday (a) alive and (b) [...]
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    Posted: November 13, 2007, 1:43pm EST

  • Hornish

    So one more sucker leaves the IRL for NASCAR. This time, it's Sam Hornish, who will take the cover off the No. 77 Penske ride that Travis Kvapil did absolutely nothing with but stink. Considering that Hornish is 0-for-6 in Cup qualifying, no one should expect the latest guy [...]
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    Posted: November 08, 2007, 3:47pm EST

  • Petty Enterprises moves southwest

    Charlotte gets yet another race shop: Petty Enterprises. The question isn't, "Why not?" The question is, "What took you so long?" Here's hoping that the move will give them a little bit more than they have now. Here's the official release. Dustin Long, as always, is all over [...]
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    Posted: November 07, 2007, 12:48pm EST

  • More interesting, but still over

    Now that a superhuman Jimmie Johnson has pulled within nine points of a not-exactly-slumping Jeff Gordon, the points race just got a little more interesting. It's still over - Clint Bowyer doesn't have enough laps in him to realize that. (No, I don't think he can make up 111 [...]
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    Posted: October 29, 2007, 12:50pm EDT

  • He's not going to do it

    Bruton Smith is a lot of things - showman, quote machine, rich. One thing he's not, and that's stupid. The Winston paper is the latest to buy into the idiotic fantasy that Smith might tear down Lowe's Motor Speedway and build it somewhere else. Not that I would be [...]
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    Posted: October 18, 2007, 2:00pm EDT

  • The Chase

    It's over. One of the Wonder Twins will win. Here are the standings if you don't believe me. Believe me, it' hard to get excited about a battle between Jeff Gordon and Jeff Gordon Jr. (No, I don't think Clint Bowyer has any shot, thank you very much.) Can we just [...]
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    Posted: October 17, 2007, 8:04pm EDT

  • Dale Jarrett

    So Dale Jarrett is finally going to give up racing. About time. I know the guy is going to go down as one of the better drivers in Cup history - 32 wins (19th all-time), three Daytona 500 wins, one Cup championship, nearly $59 million in winnings and nearly [...]
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    Posted: October 12, 2007, 8:49pm EDT

  • Talladega

    Heck yes it was boring. Other than the mini-big one and Jeff Gordon's mind-blowing last-lap pass, Sunday's race was more boring that the Carolina-New Orleans game. It was a good Sunday to take a nap. Dustin has a thread going at his blog about the race. Speaking of Dustin, [...]
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    Posted: October 08, 2007, 2:15pm EDT

  • A two-fer

    In case you were mulling these two questions -- will they ever race again at the Rock? whatever happened to Andy Hillenburg? -- Dustin Long has you covered. The short answers: (1) Yes (2) See (1). No link yet. Dustin's early lead is after the jump. We'll have more in Wednesday's paper, including [...]
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    Posted: October 02, 2007, 4:00pm EDT

  • Off week

    Dustin's not going to Kansas this weekend. He has worked what seems like the last 20 weekends in a row, and he needs a weekend off before the last seven weeks of the Chase. Can't say I blame him - it's Kansas, after all. And it's kind of like Chicagoland (new [...]
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    Posted: September 27, 2007, 12:12pm EDT

  • NUFC 2: Dover

    In the spirit of MMA, my new favorite sport, I bring you NASCAR Ultimate Fighting Championship 2: Dover: Denny Hamlin vs. Kyle Petty Hamlin wrecks Petty, then the wily veteran ties up the youngster and drops some bombs on his face mask. (The play-by-play is here.) Winner: Petty in the second round [...]
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    Posted: September 24, 2007, 6:57pm EDT

  • Pair of eights

    Junior will drive the No. 88 Mountain Dew/AMP car next season. No huge surprise there. Still waiting on pictures. I'm not sure I like the idea of a green car. Anyone know why green is supposed to be back luck for a race car? Dustin's in Dallas. Go read [...]
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    Posted: September 19, 2007, 3:29pm EDT

  • 100 points? Try $100 million

    NASCAR (and NASCAR fans) are constantly wringing their hands about punishments. Is 25 points too much? Not enough? What about 50? 100? Or suspension? The folks across the pond in F1 ("We have the prettiest cars in all of auto racing") have raised the punishment bar by several dozen [...]
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    Posted: September 13, 2007, 4:04pm EDT

  • A Chase without Junior

    I knew it was coming, long before the engine on the No. 8 decided it was running instead in the Chevy Rock & Roll 397. Unless Junior decides to run up front for the next 10 races, you're not going to see much of him until 2008. Which is fine. [...]
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    Posted: September 10, 2007, 6:20pm EDT

  • Gibbs to Toyota?

    That's been the word around the garage (which is reporter-speak for I've heard lots of rumors, but no one will talk on the record about it). ESPN goes the anonymous source route (sun rises in the morning, leaves fall off the trees in autumn, ESPN uses unnamed sources) and breaks [...]
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    Posted: August 30, 2007, 8:21pm EDT

  • Today's lucky numbers

    If ESPN is right ... ... Regan Smith's lucky number is 01. Good for him that he didn't find himself completely out of work after the whole Ginn-DEI shakeout. ... Junior will be in the 38 next year. Yeah, yeah, I get the significance, and someone else already has [...]
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    Posted: August 30, 2007, 1:03pm EDT

  • Bristol

    So what did you think? Dustin Long rounds up a bunch of Web-pinions here. (Dustin's take is here.) It's what you'd expect. Some folks liked the racing. Others hated the lack of wrecks. My take? The new surface takes some of the chance out of it. The rap against [...]
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    Posted: August 27, 2007, 3:09pm EDT

  • Live-blogging (sorta) today's race

    All times are approximate: 10:15 a.m.: Still home. (I work 11-ish to 8-ish.) Breakfast? Check. Shower? Coming up. Race? Race?! Crikey - it's on. 10:16 a.m.: ESPN2 is indeed showing the race. (Whew - got that right in today's paper.) Cars circling the track. That's a good sign. 10:18 a.m.: [...]
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    Posted: August 21, 2007, 12:36pm EDT

  • Tuesday at the races?

    What's left of Tropical Depression Erin punched a big fat hole in my Sunday. NASCAR's going to try again Monday at noon. Bad news, race fans: The usually reliable weather.com pegs tomorrow's chance of rain in Michigan at 100 percent. Tuesday, it's 30 percent. It's already a short week [...]
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    Posted: August 19, 2007, 5:38pm EDT
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