One For the Ages: Looking Back At Darlington’s Most Epic Battle
Were you watching on that March Sunday as racing history was made? Were you on the edge of your seat? Did you think one or both of the drivers wouldn’t make it to the finish as neither one backed down an inch? Who were you rooting for to pull out the win: the brash youngster who already had the reputation of being hotheaded and aggressive but could drive a car almost beyond the ragged edge, or the beleaguered veteran who never quite seemed to live up to his potential? Were you holding your breath as they made the final lap?
Nuts for Nationwide: Forget the Circumstances, Underdog Wins Always Possible
When David Ragan crossed the finish line first during last weekend’s Aaron’s 499 at Talladega in the Sprint Cup Series, I immediately thought of another race.
The date was June 17, 2006; the place, Kentucky Speedway. Most of the players are different, save for one. On that day, another David slayed the Goliaths of NASCAR, this time in the then-Busch Series. Piloting a low-budget, all-black No. 84 Chevrolet, David Gilliland defeated J.J. Yeley en route to his first win, shocking a sport that had become so used to the big guns on top.
Jeb Burton Driver Diary: Qualifying Success, Turkey Hunting and Moving Forward
Since we last talked, we’ve gotten three races in. Martinsville went well; we ran great all day long. I felt like we should’ve gotten the win there, but all in all, it was a good points day and we led a bunch of laps. Then we went to Rockingham and got another pole–that was good. In the race, we had a pretty good finish–not as good as I wanted it to be but another good points day.
Voices From the Cheap Seats: Gibbs Redemption Shows NASCAR is Out of Touch
With all the hubbub over the last two weeks about a connecting rod that was found to be a mere three grams underweight in the engine of Joe Gibbs Racing star, Matt Kenseth, and the resulting penalties levied by NASCAR, the main question in my mind is: did we really need to go through all this stupid drama?
Are the powers that be, _that_ out of touch with common sense? Ok, that’s two questions. But really, is there any one among us that didn’t think NASCAR was way off base? Make that three questions … or maybe it’s all one, I don’t know.
Tech Talk: Slugger Labbe on Talladega Struggles and Darlington Demolitions
Richard “Slugger “Labbe has been crew chiefing in the Cup series since 1997. The last four seasons he’s been on top of the box for Paul Menard, both at Richard Petty Motorsports and now with Richard Childress Racing. Throughout his career to date, he’s notched five wins, 26 top 5s and 74 top 10 finishes. Labbe has won his five Cup races with three different drivers.
NASCAR Mailbox: Harsh Comments and Penalties Galore
It’s an unfortunate thing that NASCAR is so impacted by the weather, but rarely do we sit through two meteorological marathons in one weekend. For Talladega, the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series were both either pushed back or set on hold for so long because of rain that the impending darkness at the light-less racetrack became more of a hazard than the inevitable “big one”. It got to the point where we were groaning and saying, “Just END it already!”
Denny’s Dilemma, Danger, and Drama at Darlington
It’s called the Lady in Black because more often than not, Darlington Raceway is not kind to the drivers who try to conquer it. One driver who seems, though, to have a good idea on how to handle this so-called lady, is *Denny Hamlin.*
And if he ever needed to do it again, that would be now. Saturday night’s race will be Hamlin’s first full effort since his return from back injury suffered five weeks ago in a crash with Joey Logano. Hamlin now faces the daunting task of trying to make the Chase. Since he sits 31st in points, it’s probably next to impossible for him to reach the 10th spot with 16 races left in NASCAR’s regular season.
Truckin’ Thursdays: Peters’ Roots, King’s Return and Newberry’s Experience
Once again, the Camping World Truck Series sits idle while the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series head off to Darlington Raceway. And during down times like the ones that have plagued the early parts of the year for a while now, there’s little going on that’s worth talking about. So to help keep the Truck Series in your mind ahead of next Friday night’s showdown at Charlotte Motor Speedway, I’m here to share some of the latest and greatest news coming out of the series.