Holding A Pretty Wheel

On April 29, 1984, at Martinsville Speedway, Geoff Bodine took his No. 5 City Chevrolet to victory lane for a single-car program known as All-Star Racing. That organization is now known as Hendrick Motorsports, and owner Rick Hendrick will be celebrating that team’s 30th anniversary this weekend at the place …

Admit it, you’ve done it: you’ve scratched your head in bewilderment at a team’s choice of driver. After all, there were several available to choose from, and they went with… that guy? Don’t they want to put the talented veteran, up-and-coming young gun, or solid journeyman who doesn’t tear up equipment in …

Welcome to the real NASCAR Sprint Cup Season. It’s been said that the year starts in earnest at Phoenix, after the pomp and circumstance of the Daytona 500 is in the rear-view mirror and teams can get down to the type of racing they’ll do for most of the season, …

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As NASCAR emerges at long last from its winter slumber, it’s clear that the winds of change blew strong in the sport. Little is as it was even a year ago. Old favorites closed doors while fresh-faced youngsters opened their own. Sponsors have come and gone. NASCAR made some areas …

Were you watching on that March Sunday as racing history was made? Were you on the edge of your seat? Did you think one or both of the drivers wouldn't make it to the finish as neither one backed down an inch? Who were you rooting for to pull out the win: the brash youngster who already had the reputation of being hotheaded and aggressive but could drive a car almost beyond the ragged edge, or the beleaguered veteran who never quite seemed to live up to his potential? Were you holding your breath as they made the final lap?

Sponsorship woes: it seems like they’re everywhere in NASCAR these days, and the reality is that they are. Even some of the sport’s biggest names, including a perennial Most Popular Driver and a three-time champion, have struggled to sell an entire schedule of races to backers this year, and many …

Every story has two sides. That's one of life's truths — along with the truth itself, generally lying somewhere between those two sides. Often, one side makes itself heard before the other, and opinions get formed without knowing the rebuttal. Or, speculation and empty rumors abound until both sides are heard, and then there's a judgment call about whom to side with on the issue. It's a little like a court of law: the prosecutor outlines the case and the defense gives their version of events before the jury gets to decide which one is more accurate, and to choose who's right and who's wrong.

If there is one universal attribute in racing that runs through the very veins of every driver, crewman, official and fan, it is passion. Passion has always run strong in the NASCAR community, passed from one generation to the next as seamlessly as water, or sometimes unexpectedly ignited in someone new at the sound of an engine or the smell of warm oil. Passion makes good drivers better. It pushes crews to find the miniscule advantage, one that mans the difference between winning and finishing second. It makes fans support their drivers from their early days, to the height of a career, then through the fading twilight into retirement with an optimism that always serves to keep them believing. The sport fuels the passion, and in turn, the passion drives the sport. It's a part of every race, every pass, every win.

With the many annual events in the NASCAR community, there are many opportunities to connect with the sport today, from televised pre-race shows to the awards banquet, Sprint Media Tour and the annual preview event held in Charlotte. Fans can see the new race cars, meet their favorite drivers, or see an in-depth story on just about anything. The NASCAR world is at our fingertips. But what about ways to connect today's fans to the sport's storied past? There aren't that many. Save the odd feature on the pre-race show, they aren't given many glimpses into what the sport once was. The lone annual exception is the Hall of Fame induction ceremony, just concluded for 2013. At that event, the sport's history is revered and glorified - as it should be. Those in attendance or watching at home can hear the stories from the people who lived them, or, if they aren't with us anymore, the people who knew them best.