Race Weekend Central

No Place for Complacency When It Comes To Safety

Several years ago, after a string of deaths and injuries in stock cars, Ricky Craven commented that someday everyone would look back at those days and wonder about how drivers were running into concrete walls. Craven’s words would prove prophetic as SAFER barriers replaced the concrete walls in the corners — the most likely place for a …

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30 Years and Counting: A Look at Rick Hendrick’s NASCAR Contributions

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 it all began. Throughout the …

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Hiring a Driver Isn’t Just About Talent Anymore

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 the car? Don’t they care …

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Can NASCAR Carry Daytona Momentum Forward? Yes, If It’s Done Right

2014 Daytona Unlimited Cup Pack Racing Iv Cia 430

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, a different animal entirely from …

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The Winds of NASCAR Change Blow Cold in Daytona

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 more transparent only to make …

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One For the Ages: Looking Back At Darlington’s Most Epic Battle

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?

A Glimmer Of Hope For Small Teams, Sponsors

2013 Acs Cup Casey Mears Car Cia 430

For some of NASCAR's small teams, finding funding to race has been a huge challenge.

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 of the smaller teams are …

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NASCAR And Clements: When Nobody Is Right, Everyone Is Wronged

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.