Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2011 Wonderful Pistachios 400 at Richmond
Kevin Harvick held off an assault by Cheez-It Crackers (err, Carl Edwards) to win one of the most bizarre short-track races in recent memory.
The author of Did You Notice? (Wednesdays) Tom spends his time overseeing Frontstretch’s 50+ staff members as its majority owner and Editor-in-Chief. Based outside Philadelphia, Bowles is a two-time Emmy winner in NASCAR television and has worked in racing production with FOX, TNT, and ESPN while appearing on-air for SIRIUS XM Radio and FOX Sports 1's former show, the Crowd Goes Wild. He most recently consulted with SRX Racing, helping manage cutting-edge technology and graphics that appeared on their CBS broadcasts during 2021 and 2022.
You can find Tom’s writing here, at CBSSports.com and Athlonsports.com, where he’s been an editorial consultant for the annual racing magazine for 15 years.
Did You Notice? Sponsor Collectors, a Lucky Break & the Anti-Chase Climax
Did You Notice? NASCAR’s first “Race to the Chase” under the new system is turning out rather anticlimactic?
Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2011 Advocare 500 at Atlanta
Old mentor teaches former student a thing or two, the last twist in one of the more action-packed races held on a 1.5-mile oval in recent memory.
Fact or Fiction: Chase Clinchers, Chasing 200 & the Chase for Zippy
FACT: Dale Earnhardt Jr. is Making the Chase
Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2011 Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol
Where is the old Bristol, Bruton, and what the hell can you do to bring it back before people stop coming?
Did You Notice? Earnhardt’s Strategy, Mark Martin’s Last Stand & Quick Hits
Did You Notice? Steve Letarte’s in a tricky situation when it comes to Dale Earnhardt Jr.?
Bowles-Eye View: Setting the Table, Heavyweight Fighters Gearing Up On Jimmie Johnson
Three weeks into August, the only thing missing from NASCAR’s Race to the Chase is that boxing announcer obnoxiously shouting, “In THIS corner….”
Did You Notice? A Tilt Towards Strategy, Not Speed & 4 Rookies That Could Have Been
Did You Notice? Why so many races have switched towards a fuel-mileage strategy?
Bowles-Eye View: Mother Nature Plays Racing God – Victors & Victims From Pocono’s Sunny Ending
What a nice little assist Brad Keselowski got from Mother Nature, right?
Bowles-Eye View: This Race at Pocono Brought to You by the Letters K, J & the Number 2
I’m a stats guy living in a writer’s body, a failed mathematician with a healthy dose of superstition on the side. So it’s no surprise to me that as Brad Keselowski crossed the finish line, completing one of the great “iron man” performances in recent history all that I could think about was similar to a closing line from Sesame Street:
_This race has been brought to you by the letters K, J, and the number two._
Sounds silly, right? Especially considering what Keselowski did was a physical feat rarely equaled in NASCAR’s Chase era; only Denny Hamlin’s torn ACL, then seemingly instantaneous recovery post-surgery in Victory Lane at Texas last season can compare. It was a _two-pronged_ lift for the driver in his sophomore season – comments after the race, humbly praising soldiers killed in Afghanistan as the real heroes also moved mountains in establishing himself as a role model, not a rebel amongst the fan base. Off the track, Keselowski can no longer be viewed by his peers as a one-hit wonder; he’s the first driver in years to move up the ranks the right way, from Trucks to Nationwide to Cup and develop into a proven major-league talent.