NASCAR on TV this week

Cup Series

Side By Side: Should The No. 20 Penalty Be Reduced?

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There’s no reason why NASCAR should lessen the penalties leveled against Matt Kenseth and Joe Gibbs Racing following their victory at Kansas last month. The No. 20 Husky Tools Toyota dominated the STP 400, leading 163 of the 267 laps (that’s 61% of the event) before being caught during post-race inspection with an illegal engine. Even though the infraction seemed minor–a connecting rod that was about three grams lighter than allowed by the NASCAR rulebook–penalties assessed to Kenseth and Gibbs were major.

Happiness Is … Status Quo

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Ryan Newman gave a scathing review of racing at Talladega Superspeedway, something that seemed an adrenalized version of earlier criticisms of the track. Since restrictor plates were added to the cars to reduce horsepower, racing at Daytona and Talladega has evolved into, well, take your pick: equalizer; crapshoot; fake racing; 150 laps of racing with a big crash to thin the herd; or an immensely entertaining race product. It doesn’t matter which option you choose, or if you go with a mixture of some of them. Restrictor plate racing is its own entity, and one that sits outside the normal parameters of racing where a talented driver with a strong car can distance himself from the field.

Did You Notice?… Penske’s Appeal Resolution Still Comes With Unanswered Questions

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It turns out that, in the end maybe there was a bit more playing around with the “rear skew,” trying to innovate in a way where the cars will handle better than NASCAR liked. Perhaps one of the most notable comments, Tuesday came from Penske himself who admitted that, had the suspensions been reduced in the initial appeals process he would not have taken the matter further up the chain. To me, that’s an admission of guilt, considering the 25 points lost by Joey Logano may very well keep that car out of the Chase. It’s a potential loss of millions of dollars in marketing, angering your primary sponsor in the process and you’re not going to “keep going” to restore his points? Sounds like a team that knew they were using a gray crayon.

Five Points to Ponder: Firsts, Families And Failing Pit Crews

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What a weekend it was for Regan Smith who not only won the Aaron’s 312 at Talladega with a thrilling last ditch push, but also established a 27-point lead in the battle for the Nationwide Series crown; the first time in his career he has led the standings. Smith was in seventh place coming to the white flag before a push from Kasey Kahne made all the difference.

“Coming down the backstretch I thought, ‘Ah, we’re going to take fifth or sixth.’ I thought that’s the way it was going to go. I can’t even tell you the order of the guys who were leading,” said Smith. “I just saw cars at that point. They got all jammed up, we had a run and I made a move. I wasn’t really sure if I was clear, but I figured it was the only chance I had to win the race. I wanted to make that move to see if it was going to pay off for us, and it did.”

Couch Potato Tuesday: FOX’s Yearly Bout With Amnesia

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Hello, race fans. Welcome back to Couch Potato Tuesday, where race telecast breakdowns are the primary interest. This past weekend was a very long and arduous one at Talladega Superspeedway, where the Sprint Cup, Nationwide and ARCA Racing Series were all in action. I have never had to go through as much content for three regular length races as I had to for this critique because of the weather in Talladega.

Before we start, I have a couple of jeers to hand out. First off, NBC Nightly News showed footage of what they claimed was David Ragan’s run to victory on Sunday. Unfortunately, someone in New York cued the wrong video. As a result, viewers saw the crash-marred finish of Saturday’s Aaron’s 312.

One Chance At Success At Cup’s Once-Visited Tracks

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Darlington Raceway is known for many things. It’s the supposed “Track Too Tough to Tame” and “The Lady in Black.” Its egg-shaped configuration is unique among Sprint Cup Series circuits, creating a driving experience tough to master for even the most talented competitors.

It’s also one of 10 racetracks on the Sprint Cup circuit that are visited just once during the season.