NASCAR on TV this week

The Joke’s On Them This April Fool’s: Time For Money To Match These Mouths

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We’ve heard this song before. The verses might be a little different, but the refrain is the same. I’ll set it up for you: NASCAR has left one of its historical tracks (we’ll say Track A) and it has been empty for a period of time. Now, someone has come in to revive the track, they’ve brought racing back and NASCAR has watched and listened. We’re here once again with that story, except it’s gotten farther than any previous one. The track in question, Rockingham, has even been thrown a bone, receiving a Camping World Truck Series race last season. That means now is the time where fans can decide its fate, the moment they’ve essentially asked for. If they don’t show up in substantial numbers, supporting it NASCAR will be able to point to the lack of success and use it as evidence that they were correct in leaving the track behind for the riches of bigger television markets.

April Fool’s First Mistake: Waking Up To No NASCAR Race Recap

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Let’s be honest. Holidays are great. Most holidays mean time off work, time with family, and the best part – at least for me – good food!

However, for those of us who devote much of our time to racing, it also means there is a slight void. The afternoons we usually devote to watching side-by-side competition are now wide open. This past weekend was especially empty seeing as almost no major racing series was on track for our enjoyment. There’s just … nothing.

It’s especially troubling for the select few, like myself, who don’t have many (ahem … any) interest in sports outside of this one. To me, the “Final Four” is the last four tire pit stop of the day and the only “Shockers” I know of are when Paul Menard gets back to Victory Lane. Also, a “Bracket” reminds me of the days when I had braces and I’d really rather not think about that. I still can’t look at rubber bands the same way…

Pace Laps: No April Foolin’ Here… Just The News

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*Sprint Cup: Clarifying The Hamlin Substitution Mess* How crazy has it been to put a replacement driver in the Fex Ex Toyota? Full-time regular Denny Hamlin tweeted on Friday, “This just in.. I’ll give away the Driver’s Seat to the #11 car at ‘Dega to one of my followers.”

All joking aside, it has been difficult to follow, a story that’s been evolving since the first hint of a long-term injury last Monday morning. So for those who haven’t been on it, 24/7 here’s where the situation stands now for each driver involved.

Nuts for Nationwide: The Highs and Lows of 2013 (So Far)

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Just five races into the NASCAR Nationwide Series season, we’ve already learned some things–some are important, some you probably couldn’t care less about. Do we know the clear front runners for the title yet? Maybe, but there’s also still a lot of season left to count some drivers out this early in the year. Do we have a good feel on what the 2013 season as a whole will be remembered for? Again, too early, but a few common themes are emerging.

Some of these common themes can be construed as positives. Some, on the other hand, leave us scratching our head or banging said head on a table in frustration. Either way, the 2013 Nationwide season is shaping up to be an interesting year, though it’s unclear as to whether or not it will remembered fondly, if at all. We might remember it as the year Kyle Larson became a household name, or a season of redemption for former Cup drivers like Elliott Sadler, Brian Vickers, Regan Smith and Sam Hornish, Jr.

Around The Block: Stewart Called This One Wrong

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You saw it with your own eyes on Sunday: the block, the brawl, the bad blood, and the bleeped-out tirade afterward. Now, a few days later, the dust has settled after a wild finish at Fontana—Fontana!—and the heart of the matter becomes clear: it began, on Sunday, with a block.

Really, what went down in California was a perfect storm of two separate incidents at the center of which was one Joey Logano. Logano threw the block in question, and then went on to race Denny Hamlin as hard as two drivers can race for the win-an incident which ended with Hamlin in the hospital with a broken back.

Formula 1 Friday: The Champ Starts A War

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*team (n)* – 1) a group of people organized to work together 2) a group of players forming one of the sides in a sporting contest

*mate (n)* – a friend

We mentioned in last week’s column about how we’d try and look in more depth this week at the various problems facing McLaren currently (and consistently over the past few years). However, when the weeks are split by races, there’s always the chance that some unsuspecting event will sneak up on us and send the best laid plans awry…….and so it has come about with this very column.

Voices From the Cheap Seats: A Waltrip Makes Sense While France… Not So Much

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In what could be the grandest lie since a presidential campaign that won with the promise of “Change,” NASCAR CEO Brian France claims his views to be “crystal clear” when it comes to where the line in the sand is drawn concerning driver’s rights to speak their minds and more specifically, the decision to fine Denny Hamlin a couple of weeks ago.

“There’s always going to be, when we make decisions that are not black and white per se, we’re always going to have people all over the organization that may not have made that call,” France said. “But I did. I’m crystal clear with everybody about where the line is, what we can accept, and about how the sport is going today.