Search Results for: Mark Martin

April Fool’s Folly: The One Where Everybody Loses

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As you read this article, half the world is popping up with internet stories that may or may not be true. Your best friend may be pulling a prank, as we speak, moving your car across the street and then waiting for your frantic call, thinking it was stolen (yes, that’s happened to someone I know). All across the country, this day is a time for creating fools.

But Joe Gibbs Racing doesn’t need that type of aggravation today: all across the wires, too many of their people appear as one. The company still reels this Monday, adjusting to life without Denny Hamlin and a series of whoops! announcements from one of the sport’s professional companies that makes you think whether Chuckles the Clown mistakenly jumped in as head of PR.

Pace Laps: No April Foolin’ Here… Just The News

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*Sprint Cup: Clarifying The Hamlin Substitution Mess* How crazy has it been to put a replacement driver in the Fex Ex Toyota? Full-time regular Denny Hamlin tweeted on Friday, “This just in.. I’ll give away the Driver’s Seat to the #11 car at ‘Dega to one of my followers.”

All joking aside, it has been difficult to follow, a story that’s been evolving since the first hint of a long-term injury last Monday morning. So for those who haven’t been on it, 24/7 here’s where the situation stands now for each driver involved.

Four Burning Questions: Hamlin’s Replacement and Dale Jr’.s Dream Season

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It’s a very rare occasion this week in the NASCAR Sprint Cup season. The stars and cars of the Sprint Cup Series are currently enjoying a very rare off week, as there will be no race this Sunday. Of course, just because the teams have a week off doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty to talk about. In case you missed it, one of the best NASCAR races in the past decade happened last week at….Auto Club Speedway of all places. I will gladly eat the words I wrote in this very column last week in which I ripped the 2 mile facility for being one of the least raceable tracks on the circuit. I was quite wrong, and anyone who watched the race knows why. As per usual, we have much to cover this week, as we have a star driver out for the next 6 weeks, other drivers feuding, and many more storylines to liven up this rare week off.

What’s Vexing Vito: Joey Logano At A Crossroad

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Much has been made of Joey Logano’s actions at Auto Club Speedway this past Sunday. From his “take no prisoners” dive into Turn Three on the final lap, to going Ivan Drago with his “that’s what he gets” blast after Denny Hamlin went careening into the inside wall – and out of the Series for the next six weeks, Sliced Bread has sliced right into the center of NASCAR attention. Granted, Logano didn’t know the extent of Hamlin’s injuries. However, as of Wednesday afternoon he had yet to reach out to Hamlin to discuss the incident – or wish him well. That changed Wednesday afternoon, finally although Hamlin said that while Logano had reached out to him, and they had exchanged texts, things “didn’t go well. It was unproductive.”

Who’s Hot / Who’s Not in Sprint Cup: Fontana-Off Week 1 Edition

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The Auto Club Speedway has sometimes drawn disapproval because of the distinct style of racing that the venue breeds, but that all changed on Sunday when the Gen-6s visited California.

Kyle Busch won in the Sprint Cup Series’ annual trip to Fontana for his first victory of the 2013 season and the second overall for Joe Gibbs Racing. But that wasn’t the biggest news of the weekend thanks in whole to some current and past JGR drivers.

When is a race winner not the center of attention?

Couch Potato Tuesday: NBC Sports Does Well; FOX Lucky with Feud Focus

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Hello, race fans. Welcome back to Couch Potato Tuesday, where race telecast criticism is the object of our affection, or hatred. This past weekend, the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series were both at Auto Club Speedway. Meanwhile, the IZOD IndyCar Series held their season opener on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Florida.

*Before we start*, I need to rant. I tried to watch NBC Sports Network’s live coverage of the Grand Prix of Malaysia early Sunday morning (gotta love that 4am start time that screwed up my entire Sunday and Monday). I wasn’t even planning on critiquing the telecast for the site. I just wanted to watch the race, because I like Formula One. My cable system (Time Warner Cable) has SD and HD feeds of NBC Sports Network.

Thinkin’ Out Loud: Fontana’s Wild NASCAR Race Recap

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*Key Moment* – Kyle Busch stayed out when most of the other lead lap cars came to the pits during two crucial caution flags. His two biggest rivals all day chose to stop. Denny Hamlin came in and took tires with 24 to go; Joey Logano got fresh skins with 29 laps left. Those moves, while costing them track position early allowed them to get past Busch and set up the day’s crazy ending.

The Big Six: Questions Answered After The Auto Club 400

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There’s no doubt that Furniture Row Racing has come a long way from the days when they once failed to qualify for a Sprint Cup race because someone put a brake rotor on the car backwards before their run (yes, that really happened). With a fifth-place finish for *Kurt Busch* on Sunday, the Denver-based team, which hasn’t had a win since 2011 and has five top-5 finishes since its start in 2005, cemented itself as the best of the single-car teams (though it does have a strong enough satellite relationship with Richard Childress Racing to be considered a de facto fourth car) in the sport for the first time in its existence.

Fantasy Insider: Left Coast The Place To Right Your NASCAR Ship

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The NASCAR Sprint Cup series heads to California for the first time this season with Sunday’s race at Auto Club Speedway. It may be showing up on the schedule at just the right time for a couple of traditionally top drivers who are off to slow starts. The race on the two-mile D-shaped oval is scheduled for 200 laps and with high speeds that will reach in the 200s, meaning that engine durability will be a factor too. Then of course, there’s the more simple way of trying to predict who will do well, by just looking at who is hot at the moment. Don’t out-think yourself when it comes to these picks this week.