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One Step At A Time: Three Small Teams Who Have Made One Giant Step Forward in 2013

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They include a two-time champion car owner, and drivers who have won some of the most prestigious races NASCAR has to offer. One driver is a former Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year, another has that honor in the Nationwide Series. They have seen what the view from the top looks like.

And now they’re trying to get back there the hard way.

NASCAR isn’t a sport where past accomplishments are a guarantee of future success. It is a sport where the haves and have nots are obvious to fans, just from the way they run week to week.

Nuts for Nationwide: Texas Brings End Of Break, But Not Cup Dominance

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The Nationwide Series returns to activity this weekend in Texas after a two-week break, with the full-time teams itching to get back racing. But when it comes to coming out on top Friday night? Don’t be expecting much other than yet another victory by a Cup regular.

That’s been the story of the 2013 Nationwide season so far: five races, four victories by full-time Cup competitors. Kyle Busch, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing in his No. 54, has already scored three wins after going 0-for in the series in 2012. Tony Stewart added yet another Daytona victory at the beginning of the season. Behind him, Sam Hornish, Jr. remains the only Nationwide points contender with a win, taking a popular first-place finish at Las Vegas.

Side By Side: Should The NRA Sponsor Texas?

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_Welcome back to a special edition of Side By Side. There are always two sides to every story, and we’re going to bring them both to you, right here, every week. For the first time ever, we’re running a special edition of this column based on one that’s already been run in the Newsletter. Feedback off Ellen Richardson’s NRA commentary, reprinted here was so overwhelming it was a no-brainer to ensure all fans got a chance to read it. It also stirred such passion amongst several members of our staff that a rebuttal is also written against it. Feel free to tell us what you think in the comments section below!_

*This Week’s Question: Should the NRA be sponsoring Saturday night’s Sprint Cup race at Texas? Or is it inappropriate?*

NASCAR Fanmail Frenzy: Hall of Fame Nominee Reaction

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Who says NASCAR isn’t filled with good ol; boys anymore? Look, I’m not big on things like fishing, hunting, or anything involving the term “mudding.” I enjoy country music and NASCAR, but that’s about as far as my southern blood runs. Having been born and raised in the Midwest, I’m a tad less inclined to peel the dead, festering skin from the body of an animal I’ve just eviscerated with an AK-47 … or whatever. I don’t know anything about that kind of thing. I also don’t find holding a slimy, scaly sorry excuse for a living animal known as a fish for “sport.” (Shivers) If I’m going to be on the lake, it’s going to be on a Sea-Doo or tubing behind a boat. You know … something _fun._

Truckin’ Thursdays: Crafton Set to Break Rockingham Record

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This weekend, the Camping World Truck Series heads to Rockingham Speedway for a Sunday afternoon showdown while the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series are halfway across the country in Texas. While Johnny Sauter has stolen the headlines with back-to-back victories at Daytona and Martinsville to begin the season, it’s teammate Matt Crafton who hopes to steal those headlines as he sets the all-time record for most consecutive series starts.

Tech Talk: Darian Grubb Sizes Up Substitutes And Texas-Sized Concerns

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_Darian Grubb is a Sprint Cup championship crew chief, winning the 2011 title with Tony Stewart. He was starting his second season as the head wrench for Denny Hamlin when Hamlin was injured at California a couple of weeks ago; now, he finds himself calling the shots for multiple drivers filling the seat in his car until they return. With the rules as they are, Grubb’s team will still have a chance to make the Chase if they can stay on top of the car and then win a couple of races with Hamlin in the seat._

_When Frontstretch caught up with Grubb this week, he told us about running Martinsville with Mark Martin and what the FedEx team faces as they head to Texas this week. Grubb covers things from tires to cool temperatures and the difference between having his primary driver in the seat behind him at the track and a sub._