NASCAR on TV this week

Nationwide Series Breakdown: U.S. Cellular 250

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Oh, what a difference a week can make.

Following a late-race (and hotly-debated) black flag while leading at last weekend’s Indiana 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway that relegated the championship points leader to 15th and a mere one-point standings lead over Austin Dillon, Elliott Sadler took to Iowa Speedway Saturday, August 4, with a vengeance. After starting from the pole, Sadler took the race lead from Justin Allgaier late in the going, leading 60 laps en route to his third win of the 2012 season.

“They are not taking the championship from us!” cried Sadler after crossing the line by about a second over Allgaier. He should have plenty to cheer about — following his race win and a disappointing showing from Dillon, the Richard Childress Racing driver gave himself some much-needed breathing room in the points standings, increasing his lead to 18.

Tracking the Trucks: Pennsylvania Mountains 125

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*In a Nutshell:* Nelson Piquet Jr. was the class of the field all day Saturday, winning the pole and running away and hiding during a long green flag run to start the season’s shortest race. But a rash of late-race cautions left the No. 30 vulnerable on a lap 44 restart, allowing Joey Coulter to snag the lead entering turn 1 and driving off to his first career Truck Series victory. James Buescher, Piquet, Matt Crafton and Denny Hamlin rounded out the top 5.

The Insignificance of Dodge’s Absence from 2013’s First Test

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There’s nothing surprising behind the announcement that Dodge won’t be taking part in the first test for the Cup Series’ 2013 race cars at Martinsville next week. Penske Racing’s on the way out of the Dodge camp after this season, a swirling rumor about the Andrettis coming from IndyCar to NASCAR proved fruitless, and there’s hardly a rosy relationship between the manufacturer and journeyman Robby Gordon. The same Robby Gordon that made the Daytona 500 as an underdog Dodge entry, and got no subsequent engine help despite making all but a plea for a Penske motor in his post-Duel press conference.

Fact of the matter is, there’s no sign whatsoever that Dodge has made any progress on finding a new flagship Cup team since Penske announced their defection back to Ford. The chances of Dodge being unrepresented in the 2013 Daytona 500 are not miniscule.

Dakoda Armstrong: Tackling the Tricky Triangle and USAC Excitement

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We went to Chicagoland and we were supposed to have a new truck, but we didn’t quite get it done. We took the truck we’ve been running a lot; we got there and ended up running 16th in both practice sessions. We just stayed in the same area all weekend. I thought we’d be a little better than where we finished, but we just had a little trouble on the restarts getting going. It would take the truck a lap to come back. It was one of the hardest places I’ve ever raced. To finish 16th I was three and four wide on every restart trying to get positions. We just needed to be a little better there and I didn’t quite get it; but I think we’ll work on it. Our teammate Matt Crafton was really good but Johnny Sauter in the No. 13 wasn’t very good. We’re trying to work off of each other and some of us get it while some us don’t, but I think we’ll get it the next time.

IndyCar In-Depth: A Preview Of Sunday’s Race At Mid-Ohio

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*What’s News?*

It’s been a quiet couple of weeks in the world of the IZOD IndyCar Series since the circuit departed from Edmonton. But the news cycle hasn’t been a total snoozer. The biggest change heading into the race in Mid-Ohio is a rules adjustment being applied to the recently reintroduced “Push-to-Pass” system. According to technical bulletins released by series officials, there will now be a five-second delay from the time the Push-to-Pass button is depressed to the time that the boost is actually deployed. This ought to have all sorts of implications on strategy as teams scramble to figure out the best way to utilize the updated boost.

Formula 1 Friday: Mid-Season Grades

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Yes, I know that I promised to write the second installment of the “Great Brits” this week, but with it being the school holidays and the “mid-season break” in F1, I thought it would make more sense to write up a half term report for the teams / drivers thus far.

So in true British boarding-school style (and apologies for likely squeezing the last drop out of the metaphor) I present you with the good, the bad and the…..well……rather indifferent…

Masters of Spin It Again

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You gotta hand it to them, when it comes to making excuses or putting a happy spin on a bad situation, anyone remotely associated with NASCAR are the masters!

Take for instance, this little PR blurb from ESPN regarding the ratings for Sunday’s mega-exciting race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Four Burning Questions: Second Chances and Championship “Favorites”

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*What happens now with … Sam Hornish, Jr.?*

I would talk about AJ Allmendinger, but that horse has already been beat to death. Sure it’s possible we’ll see him in NASCAR again, but it’s not likely. Even if he does find a ride after he’s finished with the Road to Recovery program, it likely won’t be with a ride anywhere near the caliber of Penske Racing. Open wheel rumors abound, and that looks to be his best option.

Professor Of Speed: Making The News

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Last Sunday’s running of the 19th Annual Crown Royal Presents the Curtiss Shaver 400 at the Brickyard (whew!) was supposed to be one of the 2012 Cup schedule’s major events. Not only was the race touted for its combining of a historic past (it’s Indy!) with present-day excitement (it’s Hendrick Motorsports!), but the weekend also resonated with controversy (what was in AJ’s “B” sample? The same thing as in his “A” sample, apparently). The anticipation leading up to last week’s event at IMS promised fans all the thrills for which NASCAR has become famous.

What this meant was that it was the perfect time to grab some snacks, some cold drinks, plop in front of the television, and watch the Olympics.

MPM2Nite: 1313 Turkey Court

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While I enjoy stock car racing at Pocono, race weekends at the track are also tinged with a bit of melancholy. For more years than I care to recall, all my best buddies and I used to attend one of the Pocono races together, gathering from near and far for the annual “male-bonding weekend.” (Which is a polite way of saying drinking a truly epic amount of beer, carrying on outrageously and, in general, reinforcing every negative stereotype of stock car fans we could manage.) I can’t say whether I’ve been to more races at Dover or Pocono, or that the best races I’ve seen have been at this track, but I can say I’ve had more fun at Pocono than any other track on the circuit.