For a majority of the first 59 laps, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was in control atop the field at Daytona International Speedway. Blocking all comers, it looked like his first race back from a concussion would wind up with another Can-Am Duel trophy. But it’s too bad for him that Denny Hamlin had other plans. Hamlin, using a push by …
It’s true NASCAR has the shortest offseason of any major sport. But really, why does it seem like forever between the season finale at Homestead and the start of Daytona Speedweeks? It’s just 90 days, far shorter than the end of the Super Bowl and the start of NFL Training Camps midsummer. For me, the …
Ryan Blaney came into the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season expected to be one of the two top rookies in the Sprint Cup Series, but while two rookies made the Chase by race 26, Blaney wasn’t one of them. That doesn’t mean it was necessarily a disappointing season for the driver of the No. 21 …
The final race of the season ended with the kind of drama that NASCAR could only hope for when it devised the Chase system, and especially this current Chase system. There was no ceremonial ride around for 267 laps for the champion as there had been at times when the championship was all but won …
Think Small It’s hard to believe the 2016 season is over—it seems like just yesterday that it began, full of promise and hope. For some of the teams on this page, it’s been, by all counts, a good season—one of accomplishment and improvement. For others it’s been a struggle, financial or performance, often both as …
Who’s in the headline – In the final elimination race of the season, Joey Logano looked like he was about to slip out of contention for a transfer position. Fortunately for him, a caution flag flew, which bunched the field up and afforded him a final shot to reclaim a spot in the final four. …
Think Small Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway, with its shift from day to night after an hours-long rain delay, did do one thing well: it showed a clear disparity between the elite teams and those striving to reach that mark one day. The intermediate tracks are plentiful on the Cup schedule …
Think Small It’s an easy mistake to make: falling into the trap of thinking most of the drivers racing for NASCAR’s smaller teams are damaged goods. Sadly, it’s one that even team owners often fall into. How often have young, talented drivers taken rides in this group hoping for some exposure only to be overlooked? …
After years of receiving criticism about NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers dominating races in the XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series, the sanctioning body finally listened to people. On Wednesday morning, NASCAR announced it would limit the participation of Sprint Cup drivers in the lower two divisions, with a maximum of 10 races allowed …
Think Small The news that’s trickled in through the last week should be making everyone in the sport take pause and think about the health of several of its teams. The snowball got rolling last week when it was reported that Tommy Baldwin Racing was in the process of selling its charter to Leavine Family …
Think Small It’s a given that NASCAR’s small teams don’t have the money and equipment that the bigger ones do. But a closer look reveals there is another piece of the puzzle missing many people don’t think about: factory support. While several of the smaller teams do have alliances with larger ones, manufacturer funding is generally reserved …
Think Small Smaller NASCAR teams are constantly talking about improvement, and it’s something for which there is always room. However, improvement goals vary, and that is necessary because teams in the group are all at different stages of development as teams. One team’s goal of top-20 finishes may be totally unrealistic for another. There is …
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