NASCAR on TV this week

Truckin’ Thursdays: Rule Changes, Off Weekends and Back to Dirt?

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The Camping World Truck Series takes another week off in its final extended break before the end of the year. While most of the drivers are taking their time to relax and refresh, I’ve got a few more odds and ends to take a closer look at before everyone heads back to the track next weekend at Martinsville Speedway.

*Truck Series on Dirt in 2013?*

Earlier this week, “ESPN.com’s David Newton reported”:http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/truck/story/_/id/8513382/truck-race-possible-eldora-speedway-dirt-sources-say that NASCAR may be looking at the possibility of hosting a Truck Series event on the dirt at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. According to Newton, “multiple sources with the series said they’ve been told a dirt track could be added to the 2013 schedule.”

Beyond the Cockpit: James Buescher On Starting Out, Moving Up, and Title Hopes

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_The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is immersed in a tight championship battle, with James Buesher and Ty Dillon at the forefront, each battling for his first series title. Buescher knows how intense the heat of the battle is; he was a contender in 2011 as well, finishing third–could that, along with his four wins, give him the edge this year? Buescher was in Charlotte last weekend, racing in the Nationwide Series, and he took some time to sit and chat with our Amy Henderson to discuss his beginnings as a hobby racer, growing up on the track, racing smart in the championship hunt…and much more._

Frontstretch Fan Q&A: Finding NASCAR Drivers Old and New

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For the first time since 1979, we watched a NASCAR Cup Series race without an Earnhardt in it. The world never stopped turning, the sky never started falling, and it was not the end of the world as we knew it. Though Earnhardt certainly wasn’t “feeling fine”, he made the right decision by sitting out. The ensuing panic that happened as soon after the announcement was made, was tantamount to another crash in the stock market. It was ridiculous.

Yet even after that, there were reports of likely reduced attendance and campers leaving the area, and post-race attendance reports had the numbers the lowest they had been in years. Somehow, the show _did_ go on and no one really noticed he was gone other than his fans.

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Four Burning Questions: Will Kansas Speedway Shake Up the Chase?

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The NASCAR circuit is making it’s second trip of the year to the Kansas Speedway this weekend, and much has changed since they last visited the Sunflower State in April. The track was repaved during the summer months, and new state of the art progressive banking was added as well. The track is now up to 20 degrees in banking and butter smooth, meaning that high speeds and a few tire blowouts will likely be the order of the day. How the Chasers fare during what has been billed as a wildcard round of the Chase leads our list of things to watch heading into this weekend.

A Quick Rundown of NASCAR’s New Qualifying and Testing Changes

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On Tuesday, NASCAR revealed multiple changes to the sport that will affect both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide series when they take effect come 2013. Most prominently, the sanctioning body announced the abolition of the top-35 rule for qualifying and new testing procedures.

Let’s waste no time and take a closer look at all three changes, one by one.

Most notable is the Sprint Cup Series’ new qualifying format. Well… new-ish. Actually, come to think of it, it’s not very new at all. Recycled is the better term.

IndyCar Year in Review: Teams, Part 2

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_It was one year ago Tuesday, October 16, 2011, that the racing world lost Dan Wheldon. We still miss you, Lionheart, and take the opportunity to remember and honor all you did, not just for the sport, but for your family and friends. It just hasn’t been the same._

*Team Penske:* Looking at the results on paper, the people at Penske should be thrilled with their 2012 season. The three-driver team notched six wins and an additional six podium finishes, often looking like the class of the field. In fact, with four races to go, two of their drivers, Will Power and Helio Castroneves, were both viable title contenders. But once again the team could not close out the season. Castroneves watched his season go awry and Power faltered in Fontana and was relegated to finishing second for the championship for the third time. For an organization like Penske, not winning the Astor Cup is bittersweet in comparison to their results.