Zach’s Turn: To Say Goodbye
As I sit in my Airbnb on the final night of my Daytona 500 coverage, two words come to mind: I’m blessed.
Zach’s Turn
Zach’s Turn: Is Cody Ware Due for a Career Year?
For years, Rick Ware Racing was seen as the tail end of the NASCAR Cup Series field — a program without the funds to afford top-level equipment but dedicated to getting four cars on the racetrack every week.
Zach’s Turn: How Does NASCAR Cash in on Clash?
LOS ANGELES — From the very start, NASCAR knew trying to race inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was a gamble. The risk was worth it and NASCAR hit the jackpot. The 2022 Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum was an undeniable success. Inside the confines of a football stadium sat over 50,000 spectators, 70% …
Zach’s Turn: iRacing Plays Pivotal Role in Clash Success
Inside the storied walls of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum sits a quarter-mile racetrack, built solely for a one-off exhibition short-track race for the NASCAR Cup Series in downtown L.A.
The idea would have felt absurd any time before 2020, before any mention of COVID-19 threatened to halt the world, let alone the sport. But NASCAR today is not the NASCAR of the last five decades – or even the last five years.
The majority of the credit lies with people like NASCAR’s Senior Vice President of Strategy and Innovation Ben Kennedy and Patrick Rogers, the sport’s vice president of marketing, for being willing to think outside the box and turn a previously unthinkable decision into a reality that comes to fruition Sunday night (Feb. 6).
Zach’s Turn: Pit Crew, Cliff Daniels Rocket Kyle Larson Toward 1st Cup Championship
PHOENIX — When the caution flag came out with 64 laps to go at Phoenix Raceway, Kyle Larson found himself in a predicament. Fellow Championship 4 driver Martin Truex Jr., who had proven his strength on the long run, caught a lucky break by being on pit road when Anthony Alfredo slammed the turn 2 …
Zach’s Turn: Denny Hamlin’s Anger May Finally Fuel Championship Run
Denny Hamlin‘s hunt for a NASCAR Cup Series championship has been fruitless so far. Whether you’re a longtime fan or a more recent viewer, you know Hamlin hasn’t won the title because it becomes a storyline every November. Statistically, he never came closer than 2010 when he finished runner-up to Jimmie Johnson in a public …
Zach’s Turn: Putting Myself in the Driver’s Seat for Once
As someone who writes about motorsports, my role is to observe. I watch drivers wheel their machines around racetracks, fight physics, search for grip and look for ways around their competitors while they manage business dealings out of the race car. I feel like my opinions are generally well informed because I’ve been fortunate enough …
Zach’s Turn: Brad Keselowski Shining in Rare Underdog Role Through Playoffs
On Oct. 10 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL, Brad Keselowski was on the brink of elimination. His competitors were doing him no favors. The No. 2 Ford was sent spinning multiple times around the part-oval, part-road-course. And with no significant playoff points to carry him through the postseason, there were multiple points were it …
Zach’s Turn: Time to Start Holding Kevin Harvick Accountable
Kevin Harvick is one of an elite few at the top of his era in the NASCAR Cup Series, but nothing on Harvick’s resume absolves the 2014 champion of accountability. Why, then, are we so quick to dismiss his wrongdoings over the years? Sure, this column is inspired by the events that took place Sunday …
Zach’s Turn: Anthony Alfredo Survives Talladega for First Top 10
Anthony Alfredo finally found the good run he’s long been looking for at Talladega Superspeedway. Lost in the shuffle of Bubba Wallace’s historic day, Alfredo kept his No. 38 Georgia Peanuts Ford clean and brought the car home 10th for his first career top 10 in the NASCAR Cup Series. “We’re really proud of that,” …
Zach’s Turn: William Byron Faces Déjà Vu as Playoffs Bring More Trouble
William Byron had to dig deep at Bristol Motor Speedway to pull himself above the playoff cut line and advance to the Round of 12. But another round has brought another points hole for Byron to crawl out of after a night of missteps that led him to an 18th-place finish at Las Vegas Motor …
Zach’s Turn: Pocono Raceway’s Doubleheader Canned Too Quickly
Pocono Raceway finally got to show NASCAR fans exactly how a doubleheader weekend can work. Five races in three days – two Cup Series races accompanied by ARCA Menards, Camping World Truck and Xfinity series events – provided the ultimate weekend for stock car racing fans. The Pennsylvania racing community and its surrounding areas responded …