Race Weekend Central

Slipstream Saturday: The Communication Rule & More Ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix

Red Bull Austrian Gp 2016

The last Formula 1 race, the first on the Baku Street Circuit in Azerbaijan, highlighted one of the problems with the current rules governing the sport.  Now, it’s rather easy to find faults with a litany of rules that oversee everything from the car to the pits to the helmets.  That the drivers are prohibited …

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Happiness Is… NBC’s Return

2106 Sonoma Cup Pack Racing Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

Road course racing has gained in popularity over the past few years.  One of the reasons for this shift is that the races have supplanted the smaller tracks as the place for action, or more specifically, the proverbial beatin’ and bangin’ that so many fans enjoy.  When Bruton Smith tinkered with Bristol Motor Speedway (over …

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Happiness Is…The Brad Keselowski, Jeff Gordon Feud

2016 Pocono I Cup Brad Keselowski Pit Stop Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

This column has pointed out some of the silliness surrounding how drivers can make the Chase in the first weekend of racing and then be able to cruise or test for a good portion of the season. That’s not to say that drivers don’t want to win on a weekly basis, but holding the big …

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Open Wheel Wednesday: Dissecting the Texas Mess & Road America

2016 Indianapolis 500 Starting Grid Chris Owens Indycar

(Photo: Chris Owens / IndyCar)

1) IndyCar postponed the conclusion of the Texas race until Aug 27 where the race will resume on lap 71 as things were. Did they make the right decision? What should they have done? Aaron Bearden (IndyCar/NASCAR): I’m not certain of the date, but there wasn’t too much that INDYCAR officials could do given the …

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Slipstream Saturday: The Tricky Circuit Gilles Villeneuve & More

Lewis Hamilton Monaco Gp 2016

(Photo: Getty Images)

After a weekend off, Formula 1 has jumped across the Atlantic Ocean and landed in Montreal, Canada at one of the more tricky tracks on the schedule. That kind of comment seems silly. All of the tracks have their peculiarities that make them difficult; be it the turns, the elevations, the straights, or how any …

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Happiness Is…Dominance, Owning It & “Fluky”

2016 Charlotte I Cup Martin Truex Jr Jimmie Johnson Nascar Via Getty Images

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

Well Sunday sure ended up being an interesting day. For being considered the best day in racing, however, there was something that felt slightly peculiar. Perhaps the rain falling over Monaco set the stage, as the Formula 1 race then began behind a safety car. That’s never a great way to get things started.   …

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Open Wheel Wednesday: Life After the Indy 500

Alexander Rossi Indianapolis Motor Speedway 2016 Mike Neff

(Photo: Mike Neff)

Alexander Rossi won the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 this past Sunday…  Wait, who?  Alexander Rossi?  Who’s that?  Isn’t he the guy who tears it up in the Moto GP circuit and at one point was rumored to be headed to Formula 1 and Ferrari?  No, that’d be Valentino Rossi.   To say that …

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Slipstream Saturday: Monaco. What Else Needs Be Said.

Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull, Monaco, 2016, Getty

(Photo: Red Bull)

One of the axioms of modern Formula 1 racing is that engineers are the ones pulling all the levers and that the driver is, in many ways, a hindrance to their perfection.  In their labs, the collection of minds develop what they see as the best possible outcome from the resources they have – and …

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IndyCar Roundtable: Previewing and Predicting the 100th Indianapolis 500

James Hinchcliffe was a surprising pole winner, but where do you see him ending up as he drives for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports? Mike Neff: This is the Indianapolis 500. Cinderella stories, surprises and disappointments are strewn across the history like carbon fiber shards after a turn one impact. He has to survive the 200 laps …

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Happiness Is…The Best Day in Racing

2016 Charlotte All Star Cup Jamie Mcmurray Ryan Newman Kyle Larson Racing Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

Yesterday, fumata bianca wafted from the NASCAR headquarters in Daytona Beach, Florida, indicating that this year’s Hall of Fame class had been selected.  With six persons, en totem, assuming their spots in the hallowed halls, there was little in the way of suspense.  Rick Hendrick.  Richard Childress.  Mark Martin.  Raymond Parks.  Benny Parsons.  H. Clay …

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