NASCAR Fanmail Frenzy: Hall of Fame Nominee Reaction

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Who says NASCAR isn’t filled with good ol; boys anymore? Look, I’m not big on things like fishing, hunting, or anything involving the term “mudding.” I enjoy country music and NASCAR, but that’s about as far as my southern blood runs. Having been born and raised in the Midwest, I’m a tad less inclined to peel the dead, festering skin from the body of an animal I’ve just eviscerated with an AK-47 … or whatever. I don’t know anything about that kind of thing. I also don’t find holding a slimy, scaly sorry excuse for a living animal known as a fish for “sport.” (Shivers) If I’m going to be on the lake, it’s going to be on a Sea-Doo or tubing behind a boat. You know … something _fun._

Truckin’ Thursdays: Crafton Set to Break Rockingham Record

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This weekend, the Camping World Truck Series heads to Rockingham Speedway for a Sunday afternoon showdown while the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series are halfway across the country in Texas. While Johnny Sauter has stolen the headlines with back-to-back victories at Daytona and Martinsville to begin the season, it’s teammate Matt Crafton who hopes to steal those headlines as he sets the all-time record for most consecutive series starts.

Tech Talk: Darian Grubb Sizes Up Substitutes And Texas-Sized Concerns

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_Darian Grubb is a Sprint Cup championship crew chief, winning the 2011 title with Tony Stewart. He was starting his second season as the head wrench for Denny Hamlin when Hamlin was injured at California a couple of weeks ago; now, he finds himself calling the shots for multiple drivers filling the seat in his car until they return. With the rules as they are, Grubb’s team will still have a chance to make the Chase if they can stay on top of the car and then win a couple of races with Hamlin in the seat._

_When Frontstretch caught up with Grubb this week, he told us about running Martinsville with Mark Martin and what the FedEx team faces as they head to Texas this week. Grubb covers things from tires to cool temperatures and the difference between having his primary driver in the seat behind him at the track and a sub._

Beyond the Cockpit: Casey Mears On The Best He’s Ever Been, Helmets, & Real Horsepower

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_Racing is a game of highs and lows. That becomes especially apparent looking at the career of Sprint Cup driver Casey Mears. Mears, a third-generation racer from Bakersfield, California, has celebrated in Victory Lane after winning one of the sport’s most prestigious races with one of its premier teams. He’s also gone through the agony of losing his ride to lack of sponsorship and the uncertainty of a year on the fringe, taking whatever rides he could just to stay in the game. From 2005 to 2009, Mears drove for five teams in five years among three different organizations, with five different crew chiefs. The lack of stability was frustrating. Then, late in 2010, Mears was picked up by Germain Racing, a team making its foray into Sprint Cup after being a fixture in the Camping World Truck Series, winning two CWTS titles in 2006 and 2010. The team would find the Cup ranks much more daunting._

Side By Side: Where Does Jimmie Johnson Really Rank?

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_Welcome back to Side By Side. There are always two sides to every story, and we’re going to bring them both, right here, every week. Two of our staff writers will face off on an important racing question … feel free to tell us what you think in the weekly poll and also in the comments section below!_

*This Week’s Question: Is Jimmie Johnson the best NASCAR driver in the 21st century?*

Jeff Wolfe, Senior Writer: Johnson is Just That Good

OK, I admit it. I understand why some fans just can’t stand Jimmie Johnson. His story just seemed to be a bit _too_ perfect and the success, it seemed, came a little _too_ easily. Shouldn’t everyone have to struggle a bit before becoming the best at what they do? Even Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team.