NASCAR on TV this week

Title Fight Better the Second Time Between Stenhouse, Sadler

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Last year’s battle between Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Elliott Sadler was about as much entertainment as Nationwide Series fans had gotten in a decade. After five consecutive years of having the trophy bestowed upon a double dipping all-star with premier equipment, Cup pit crews and talent that had long proven ready to graduate to the Sprint Cup Series, finally the points battle had some suspense…and some fresh blood to boot.

This year, it’s only gotten better. With Cup involvement down, leading title contenders Stenhouse and Sadler have combined for nine race wins and proven among the class of the field for the vast majority of the season’s 27 events thus far. Not only is the battle for top of the charts close, it’s among drivers that are viable threats to win every weekend.

Formula 1 Friday: The Prof

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_“There’s only one real hero in the F1 paddock. Sid Watkins”_ – Mika Hakkinen

As we touched on briefly a fortnight ago, motor sport on both sides of the ocean lost one of it’s true legends recently. A man to whom our sport will forever be in debt – Professor Eric Sidney Watkins. His huge personality and irreverent sense of humour will be missed around the world, but his legacy will live on, not only within motor sport, but within the medical world as a whole.

Fans Have Questions, We Have Answers: NASCAR Thursday Roundup

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So far, the Chase for the Sprint Cup has gotten off to a rather anti-climactic start and as such it seems that many fans are disappointed. They want excitement, drama, and some good racing. Who wouldn’t? But if you look at the two tracks they have raced at lately, is it really that much of a surprise?

Actually, I’m not even sure that is what fans want. While I didn’t think last Sunday’s race Loudon was anywhere close to exciting, I didn’t think it was terrible! Sure Hamlin dominated, which didn’t help, there was still some racing throughout the pack and I personally enjoy keeping up with the other contenders. However, no one else seemed to feel the same way.

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Beyond the Cockpit: Parker Kligerman on Transitions And Championship Dreams

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_Parker Kligerman has found himself in a unique situation during his sophomore season in the Camping World Truck Series. After running half of the year with Brad Keselowski Racing, the team he drove for during his rookie campaign, the 22-year-old was released following his seventh-place run at Pocono in August. Less than a week later, he landed at Red Horse Racing behind the wheel of the No. 7 Toyota without missing a race._

_Fast forward to today and Kligerman has four top-4 finishes in five events plus a 23rd-place result in a race where he led 10 of 200 laps before a cut tire and the ensuing damage took him out of contention. Kligerman took some time out of his week to talk about how his passion for racing began, his focus on the championship and so much more._

The Power of Numbers

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The recent Sprint Cup adventures of Denny Hamlin and the No. 11 FedEx team at Joe Gibbs Racing have been fun to watch.

Not only has Hamlin won three of the last five races, but his victory at New Hampshire last weekend was apparently the result of sheer destiny. Hamlin met with race fans and tweeted like a swami with a Smartphone as the day of the Sylvania 300 approached. Not even incorrect tire pressures for qualifying could de-rail the FedEx Freight Express. Starting 32nd was little more than a hiccup for the No. 11 Toyota. Hamlin raced into the lead on lap 94 and led an additional 99 circuits en route to his fifth Cup victory of the season. Life looks good right now for the No. 11 team, especially when its oh-so-confident driver can predict specific wins weeks before the green flag flies.

Truckin’ Thursdays: Same Story, Different Year: Will History Repeat?

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With just six races remaining in the 2012 season, James Buescher finds himself in a familiar place. Going into Las Vegas Motor Speedway last year, the driver of the No. 31 Chevrolet sat just three points behind eventual champion Austin Dillon. This season he’s just four markers behind Dillon’s younger brother Ty, but in 2011, Buescher moved away from the championship lead as the races wore down, finishing third in the standings. In those final five events, the driver of the No. 31 posted an average finish of 13th, and a third-place spot in the standings was pretty impressive given he had one less start than the rest of the leaders.

IndyCar Year in Review: Drivers 14th Through 26th

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_Now that the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season has come to an end, the Frontstretch IndyCar staff will be taking some time to review the year that was. We start tonight with part one of our driver reviews, looking at those who finished 14th through 26th in the season points standings._

*26. Katherine Legge* – Legge started the year driving for Lotus Dragon Racing and finished it driving the Dragon Racing Chevrolet powered entry, which should speak volumes.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Power Rankings: Top 15 After New Hampshire

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He called his shot. Then he didn’t. Then he did. Denny Hamlin set himself up for success no matter how he finished on Sunday and took credit for calling his victory thereafter. However, you can’t say this guy doesn’t have confidence and everyone seems to agree he is now, officially, championship material. However, Jimmie Johnson–much similar to the championship battle in 2010–was right behind him when the checkered flag flew–and has the points lead.

Uncertain Times Await for Suddenly-Replaced Regan Smith

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Hearing the news of Kurt Busch’s arrival at Furniture Row Racing next season might cause one to recall the path that the team has traveled to get to 2013 — from Jerry Robertson to a former Cup champ. But, aside from the fanfare of a superstar driver’s big announcement, it also elicits a worthwhile question: what happens to Regan Smith?

Smith, who’s been within the NASCAR ranks since 2002, came to Furniture Row, a Denver, Colo.-based, single-car organization, in 2009, when the team was running on a part-time basis after failing to qualify for multiple races from 2006-2008. After switching back to full-time status in 2010, Smith and the No. 78 team scored a popular victory in the 2011 Southern 500 at Darlington. Just this past off-season, Smith moved to Colorado to be closer to the rest of the organization, expecting his future to lie with the Denver-based race team.