NASCAR on TV this week

Couch Potato Tuesday: Drawing The Line Between Sports Coverage And E!

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Hello, race fans. Welcome back to Couch Potato Tuesday, where race telecast discussion and critique is the main object of affection (or derision). This past weekend was relatively light, with only the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series in action in Richmond.

*ToyotaCare 250*

On Friday night, the Nationwide Series returned to action on the three-quarters of a mile “D-Shaped” oval at Richmond International Raceway. Carl Edwards was back in the booth for his second race of the year. How did it go? Let’s take a look.

Five Points to Ponder: Politics Surrounding Short Tracks, Injuries, And Jeff Burton

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*ONE: Build More Short Tracks*

A lot of what you read on Twitter is not much more than garbage, but there was one tweet late Saturday night from USA Today NASCAR beat writer Jeff Gluck that really hit the mark.

“The longer I’m around this sport, the more I’m convinced additional short tracks would be the solution to many of NASCAR’s problems,” “tweeted Gluck.”:https://twitter.com/jeff_gluck/status/328595945480654848

Racing to the Point: Everybody Loves Talladega! Don’t They?

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Let the phony smile-a-thon begin. While NASCAR and FOX revs up for another nail-biting weekend at Talladega, how many drivers are actually looking forward to the race?

“If this is what we did every week, I wouldn’t be doing it,” Junior said after getting involved in an accident at Talladega last fall. “I’ll just put it to you like that. If this is how we raced every week, I’d find another job.”

Going By the Numbers: Plate Racing’s Best At Finishing In One Piece

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The last time NASCAR’s national series visited a restrictor plate superspeedway, this column focused on the kings of the restrictor plate in NASCAR, and the drivers who should be called the best versus those that are popularly considered to be such.

This time, with Talladega in our sights, we’ll focus again on drivers who tend to finish well while plate racing. While it may be about the wins in the long run, it’s also rewarding to simply make it to the end of a restrictor plate race these days. With the introduction of tandem racing, the subsequent return of the pack and the always looming “Big One,” each turn is treacherous, every closing lap more harrowing than the last. Once it’s crunch time, you tend to see racers really going for broke.

Diva Complex 2.0: Why It Won’t Ever Go Away

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I wrote a column not too long ago about the “diva complex” NASCAR faces with some of the egos in this sport and how aggravating it is watching millionaire racecar drivers complain about others racing them too hard. Incidentally, many of you agreed with me and are just as aggravated by this phenomenon as I am. Sure, tempers are part of the sport, but temper tantrums over how someone else is racing you? It’s maddening!

We wouldn’t be very smart, though, to not fully expect it at a track like Richmond. After all, a short track Saturday night race is well known for its tendency to get under the skin of even the most patient drivers.

Pace Laps: Almost Isn’t Enough, Keselowski’s Comeback And Refueling

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*Sprint Cup: A Series Of “Almosts”* Saturday night’s Richmond race, a prime example of why winner Kevin Harvick is called “The Closer” leaves behind a long list of “what might have beens.” The driver of the No. 29 Chevrolet, used to charging from behind in crunch time came from seventh place, making daredevil moves on a green-white-checkered finish and only led a grand total of three laps during the race.

But Harvick’s gain, “Happily” stealing a trophy underneath everyone’s nose left up to a half-dozen drivers scratching their head. Once again, Matt Kenseth and the No. 20 Toyota had the dominant car, leading the most laps (140) only to have the wrong handling package down the stretch. Coming home seventh, he’s now led a total of 303 laps the last two weeks and has just 37 points to show for it. Clint Bowyer, who also led a huge chunk of the race (113 circuits) had no choice but to settle for second.

The Big Six: Questions Answered After the Toyota Owners’ 400

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*Who…gets my shoutout of the race?*

One thing about racing — sometimes the driver who _should_ win doesn’t, and that’s exactly what went down on Laburnum Avenue Saturday night. *Juan Pablo Montoya* had the best car late and was driving like he owned the place before a late crash by Brian Vickers shuffled the field and left Montoya on the outside row for the restart. That was all she wrote as it was Kevin Harvick who was able to make the move to the front on a green-white-checkered run to the finish; Montoya was left sitting fourth.

Nationwide Breakdown: ToyotaCare 250

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Brad Keselowski’s 2013 was off to a solid, if unspectacular start; eight races in the Sprint Cup Series had yielded four top fives and seven top 10s, but recent weeks had found him less and less a part of the conversation when it came to victories. Despite entries in every Nationwide Series race to that point, he had only managed two top-5 finishes, while fellow Cup regular Kyle Busch ran away with the majority of the first six races.