Holding a Pretty Wheel: Observations From the Pits at Charlotte
CONCORD, N.C. – It’s a chilly fall here outside Charlotte, N.C. and I’m here at Lowe’s Motor Speedway for the season wrap-up.
Holding A Pretty Wheel
Holding a Pretty Wheel: The Closest Thing to Earnhardt… is Named Montoya?
NASCAR has a driver a lot like Dale Earnhardt. The driver is Juan Pablo Montoya.
Holding a Pretty Wheel: These Are the Moments
I wrote last week that one thing that makes NASCAR worth watching is the moments. Those brief seconds when time seems to stop will never let you quit watching, just in case you miss one. And there have been a lot of them over the years – moments that take your breath away. Sometimes with …
Holding a Pretty Wheel: Why I Still Watch NASCAR
The Chase is terrible, the races are boring and NASCAR doesn’t care about the fans.
Holding a Pretty Wheel: It’s All Fun & Games – But in NASCAR, Someone is Bleeding to Death
It’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye. Remember hearing that phrase as a kid? It was usually connected to doing something like running with scissors or swordfighting with your brother with the kitchen knives. Anything where the “fun” was getting out of hand and becoming potentially dangerous; hence, the lecture. Guess what? …
Holding a Pretty Wheel: Brian Vickers on the Brink of the Ride of His Life
In retrospect, it shouldn’t have been a surprise. The signs were there well over a year ago – it was just a matter of time, a matter of a little more experience, a matter of a little luck. And when it mattered the most, the young driver from North Carolina (a dying breed now) found …
Holding a Pretty Wheel: Really?!
Strange things are afoot at the Circle K. Or at least it seems that way lately. Maybe it’s just me, but several tidbits lately have me doing a double take. I know it’s called silly season for a reason, but this year has gone beyond silly and right on into downright ridiculous. The latest piece …
Holding a Pretty Wheel: Is There Loyalty Left in NASCAR?
There is a trend I’ve noticed in racing lately and I don’t like it. It seems like everywhere you turn, a team is firing a driver for nothing he caused, a fan is picking a new favorite when old number one isn’t winning so much, a sponsor is dropping a prospect for a big name …
Holding a Pretty Wheel: 5 Who Would Like to Forget – Who Isn’t Meeting NASCAR Expectations?
Last week in this column, I discussed the seasons of five drivers who were having a rather unpublicized good year. But there are also drivers who, while well inside the Top-35 cutoff in points, are having a season that is fraught with disappointment – the kind of year in which everyone from media to fans …
Holding a Pretty Wheel: Diamonds in the Rough – 5 NASCAR Drivers Having a Great 2009, Not That You’ve Seen It On TV
NASCAR broadcasts these days are, as many fans complain, not exactly equitable in how they dole out airtime to drivers. While one guy (you fill in the name) will be on TV throughout the broadcast no matter where he is running, another (fill in that guy, too) might be having a great run-and you hardly …
Holding a Pretty Wheel: Jamie McMurray at a Crossroads with Miles to Go
The year is 2002 and there is buzz in the then Busch Series garage and among fans about a 26-year-old driver seemingly in the fast lane to the top. By season’s end, he looks to be proving to all takers that he’s worthy of the talk – he’ll end up with a pair of wins …
Holding a Pretty Wheel: Before My Brain Melts… NASCAR Thoughts for These Summer Nights
It seems as though most of the country is running hot this week, with the summer swelter of the dog days of August closing in on almost everyone. I can’t believe how fast the summer has gone; the season is more than half over, and, well, there certainly has been plenty going on lately. There …