NASCAR on TV this week

Going By the Numbers: The Cup Season’s First Off Week, Before and After

After these last few weeks, perhaps a breather is the best thing for the Sprint Cup Series.

Two straight weeks have resulted in post-race feuds and, on Sunday, a spectacular finish from which Denny Hamlin had to be taken to a local hospital.

Now, the series (as well as the second- and third-tier Nationwide and Truck series) faces an off week, giving the teams a week to regroup from the west coast trip to California in preparation for what promises to be an action-packed Martinsville race.

The Big Six: Questions Answered After The Auto Club 400

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.

Mirror Driving: 2013 NASCAR Crossroads On Attendance, Talent, Rivalries

*We’ve already seen former teammates Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano butt heads at least twice in only four races this season. Going forward, should we expect this phenomenon to rear its head again at tracks like Martinsville — or is this rivalry just a bunch of hot air?*

Phil: I wouldn’t be surprised if they “had at it” again at some point this year. The Twitter Duel looks ridiculous, though. That probably didn’t need to be public.
Summer: That whole thing was ridiculous. It was fun to watch, but it was ridiculous.

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

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.

Five Points to Ponder: NASCAR Rivalries Unleashed And A Champion Returns

I think it’s safe to say that erstwhile teammates Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano will not be sharing a gentle game of hoops anytime soon. The acrimony between the two began – in public, at least – after the Daytona 500 in a Twitter war about the final restart of the Great American Race. The situation revved up to full-on animosity at Thunder Valley this past weekend after an on-track incident and a post-race altercation of sorts.

Who’s Hot / Who’s Not in NASCAR: Bristol-Fontana Edition

With performance of the new Generation-6 models beginning to come into question, NASCAR got just what it wanted in an exciting weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. Action packed racing took center stage as some drivers found that the World’s Fastest Half-Mile wasn’t spacious enough to contain their ill fortunes and boiling tempers.

Matt McLaughlin’s Thinkin’ Out Loud: Bristol-1 Race Recap

*The Key Moment* – Brad Keselowski, the race leader, never got up to speed on the final restart, allowing Kasey Kahne and Kyle Busch to pass him before the first corner. While Keselowski and Busch battled over second, Kahne drove off to a win.

*In a Nutshell* – New car, new track, same old Bristol racing.

*Dramatic Moment* – There’s many to choose from, including that final restart, but my nod goes to the incident where Jeff Gordon blew a tire while leading and took out second-place contender Matt Kenseth. It’s rare these days you see the entire complexion of the race change in the blink of an eye. (Or during commercial break, in this case… sigh.)