Vito Pugliese

Contact Vito

The first NASCAR race I attened was in 1982, at the Champion Spark Plug 400 at Michigan International Speedway – I still have the 8mm film of me cruising around on my Big Wheel to prove it. In those days, the infield grass was brown, and it sat maybe 50,000 people. Even then, it still took three hours to get out of Brooklyn after the race. My next race wasn’t until 1989 at MIS, when I made the decision to elect Mark Martin as my favorite driver. After enduring nearly two decades of peaks and valleys, highs and lows, heartache and heartbreak, I have earned the right to deem myself, “Bitter Martin Fan”. Journalists are expected to be unbiased and impartial; I am not.

I graduated from Grand Valley State University in 2001 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, with a Major in Marketing. I don’t just write about racing, I actually participate as well. During the spring, summer, and fall months, I enjoy competing in bracket racing at The Mid-Michigan Motorplex, and the occasional autocross event at Grattan Raceway, one of the tracks that Car & Driver often uses to evaluate performance cars. I am somewhat capable with tools, however after stripping the drain plug out of my Kawasaki KDX200 while attempting the daunting task of an oil change when I was 16, it became apparent to me that there is a reason today that the drivers are typically not expected (or allowed) to wrench on their racecars.

When You Can See Vito’s Frontstretch Columns:
Voice Of Vito: Tuesdays (Website)
What’s Vexing Vito? : Thursdays (Newsletter)

Q & A With Vito Pugliese:

Name One Person Or Thing You Can’t Stand. : Really nice, hot girls with these dopey looking loser guys. It’s an epidemic that is sweeping the nation. This aggression will not stand.

What Is Your Favorite Movie? : “The Big Lebowski” Also, all of the “Rocky” movies. (Except for Rocky III. The beach scene when Rocky and Apollo start hugging and frollicing in the water was a little weird.)

Who Is Your Favorite Mucial Artist(s)? : Alice In Chains (aka, The Best Band Ever) Layne Staley – RIP.

What Is Your Favorite Racing Moment? : Listening to Richard Petty win number 200 on MRN with my dad while driving in our ’69 Plymouth Valiant.

Who Is Your Favorite Cartoon Character? : Master Shake – Aqua Teen Hunger Force. It’s as if somebody drew me…with a straw jammed in my head.

Vito’s Favorite Non-Racing Sites He Recommends

• The Onion
• The Drudge Report Matt Drudge’s very popular news site (He’s like the Jayski of News)
• The Phat Phree Very Ophensive, very phunny
• GlobalSecurity.org If you like pictures of B-52’s (and lets face it, who doesn’t), this is the place.
• Top Gear The best car review site and show that you’ve probably never heard of.

Past articles By Vito Pugliese

November 2009

11/05: Enter The Era of DaniCAR: Patrick To Join JR Motorsports in 2010 [31]

11/04: Talladega Troubles Self-Imposed By NASCAR [17]

October 2009

10/28: Johnson's Fourth Title In Striking Distance, Yet Talladega Remains a Game Changer [2]

10/21: Media Crowning Johnson Champion Halfway Through Chase Lazy and Irresponsible [17]

10/14: Danica Patrick, NASCAR, and IndyCar: Motorsports' Torrid Love Triangle Heats Up [12]

10/07: Not In The Chase? You're Far From A Second-Class Citizen [6]

September 2009

09/30: Overlooking The Obvious: Media Largely Ignoring Compelling Chase Stories, Handing Johnson Title Prematurely [4]

09/23: Strong Chase Starts Not Always A Recipe For Championship Success [3]

09/16: Pugliese The Prognosticator: A Comprehensive Guide To The 2009 Chase For The Cup [4]

09/09: Limpin' Ain't Easy: Roush Fenway Trio Stumbling Into Richmond On Carl Edwards' Broken Foot [7]

09/03: Ousting A Veteran Driver At His Best Track For An Unproven Rookie: Par For The Course In NASCAR [12]

09/02: The Right Fit: Why Brad Keselowski Joining Penske Racing in 2010 Will Work [9]

August 2009

08/28: Fuel For Thought - Making The Case For Fuel Injection In NASCAR [15]

08/27: I Love It Loud: Driver Introduction Music At Bristol - How To Turn a Good Idea Up To 11 [2]

08/20: For Dale Earnhardt, Jr., The Light At The End Of The Tunnel Is No Longer An Oncoming Train [6]

08/19: Take The Pain: Should Jeff Gordon's Back Injury Be A Storyline As The Championship Chase Looms? [7]

08/12: Forgotten On Race Day? Ford Looks To Rebound This Weekend in The Irish Hills of MIS [5]

08/05: NASCAR Rules Were Meant To Be Broken, So Can We At Least Fix These Three? [13]

July 2009

07/29: Looking Back At The Brickyard: Clichés, Controversy, And A Questionable Call [13]

07/16: Harvick's Potential Move To Stewart-Haas Racing Has Long-Lasting Implications [16]

07/15: Déjà Vu To You, Too: Hendrick Teams Virtually Guaranteed 2009 Sprint Cup Title [6]

07/08: Michael Waltrip: Motorsports Motormouth Finally Focusing Full-Time on Owner Role For 2010 [7]

07/01: No News Is Bad News: Dark Days Still Loom On The Horizon For NASCAR [5]

June 2009

06/17: Mark Martin's Middle-Aged Miracle: 1-On-1 Secrets Revealed For Revitalized Career [9]

06/15: Number Five Is Alive: Martin Outwits and Outlasts Opponents At Michigan [12]

06/10: Desperate Men Doing Desperate Things: NASCAR's Actions Speak Volumes About The State of The Sport [9]

06/03: Kyle Busch: Who Else Is Sick and Tired of His Act Besides Me? [62]

May 2009

05/27: The Curious Case of Castroneves, Reutimann, and Jenson Button [3]

05/21: What's Vexing Vito: Carl Long's Suspension and Fines A Cover Up For Mayfield Drug Test Fiasco? [23]

05/20: Big Three Bankruptcies and New Government Mandates Spell Doom For NASCAR and Motorsports [26]

05/14: Smokin' Weed or a Smoke Screen? Mayfield's Suspension for Banned Substance Provides More Questions Than Answers [5]

05/13: The Southern 500 and Darlington: Same As It Ever Was, Only Different [3]

05/06: Don't Tread On Thee: Three Straight Weeks of Nostalgic NASCAR Remind Us Of What's Right With Racing [3]

April 2009

04/29: Talladega Flights: Massive Crash Highlights Superspeedway's Continued Conflicts [3]

04/22: A Lifetime of Trials, Tribulation, and Tragedy: Mark Martin and Rick Hendrick Setting The Stage For NASCAR's Biggest Comeback Story [5]

04/15: The Prophet Pugliese - NASCAR's Future Hangs In The Balance With General Motors and Chrysler [6]

04/09: Vexing Vito: Economy Or No Economy, Parking No. 8 Car For Phoenix Dumbest Thing Ever [17]

04/08: Taking One For The Team: Earnhardt, Jr. and Martin Getting Gordon and Johnson's Leftovers? [41]

March 2009

03/25: Racing The Way It Used To Be: NASCAR Short Tracks Still Exist - If Barely [4]

03/12: Breaking Up Is Hard To Do: Should Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Tony Eury, Jr. Split Up? [27]

03/11: Don't Jump, It's Not Worth It! NASCAR's Biggest Names Stumbling Along The Ledge On Off Weekend [3]

03/04: Party Crashers In The Top 12 - Here To Stay, Or a Flash In The Pan?

February 2009

02/25: Running From My Problems: Finding Relief In Racing's Past And A Polish Donut [3]

02/18: Diary of a Madman: Cabin Fever & Stir Crazy Collides With an Irritating Daytona 500 [5]

02/11: The NASCAR Stimulus Package: What Can Be Done To Jump Start Racing In America? [11]

02/05: So This Is What It Sounds Like... When Buds Cry

02/04: America's Most Wanted: The Top 5 Drivers To Watch In 2009 [1]

November 2008

11/18: Johnny Benson, Jr: The Best Thing To Happen To NASCAR Championship Weekend [6]

11/13: Manufacturer Involvement In NASCAR Hanging On By A Thread [7]

11/11: You Were Always On My Mind - Johnny Benson Ponders His Future In NASCAR [5]

11/04: Haven't I Seen This Show Before? Deja Vu All Over Again In The Lone Star State [17]

October 2008

10/30: What's Vexing Vito : Mopar or NoCar Coming To Fruition [4]

10/28: A Dying Man's Five Racing Wishes... If I Were Dying, That Is. [19]

10/21: Jimmie Johnson - Modern Day Legend? Third Consecutive Title Would Put Him In Rare Company [8]

10/14: Johnson In Jeopardy? Burton Surging? The Two Square Off With A Title At Stake [4]

10/07: Talladega Blights: Smith Disenfranchised, Johnson One Step Closer [57]

September 2008

09/30: Nepotism In Reverse: Kyle Petty's Days Coming To a Close at Petty Enterprises? [9]

09/23: Food For Thought: What's Broken and What Works in NASCAR [16]

09/18: What's Vexing Vito : Politics, Religion, and NASCAR -- Why Can't Drivers Endorse Their Candidate? [7]

09/16: One Down, Nine To Go: 2008 Chase for The Championship Raises Interesting Questions At The Mystery Mile [4]

09/09: These Ain't Shetlands: Nationwide Series Hails Return of American Muscle With New Car of Tomorrow [7]

09/04: What's Vexing Vito: Can Richmond Reiginte The Spark So Many Fans Have Lost? [4]

09/02: Are We There Yet? 2008 Season Plods Into Richmond With Chase Set To Begin - Is Anyone Really Paying Attention? [29]

August 2008

08/26: Joey Logano - Racing's Next Best Thing and Worst Kept Secret [4]

08/19: The Shape of Things To Come: A Chase Outlook For The Big Three In 2008 [2]

08/12: Deep NASCAR Thoughts From The Professor Of The Obvious [3]

08/05: Charting The Championship Chase: Who's In, Who's Out ... And What's It All About, Anyway? [3]

July 2008

07/29: Reflections of Indy: Why It's The Worst Race Ever, And How It Got There [21]

07/22: Richard Petty: Long Live The King - And Rightfully So [2]

07/15: Enjoy It While It Lasts: Kyle Busch's Dominant Season To Be Derailed By Chase Format [18]

07/08: Into The Flood Again: Why Mark Martin Came Back To Full-Time Cup Racing [8]

07/01: Toyota: Ruling The Roost of NASCAR In Both Competition and Compelling Personalities [13]

June 2008

06/24: U.S. Army Deserting Chevrolet And Defecting To ... Toyota? [23]

06/16: He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother: Cousins Earnhardt, Jr. and Eury, Jr. Silence Skeptics with Win at Michigan [19]

06/10: Polish Power: Brad Keselowski and Robert Kubica Notch First Wins [1]

06/03: The Next Big Thing In NASCAR Might Not Be Who You Think It Is [8]

May 2008

05/27: A Stupid Car and Blown Tires: NASCAR Hitting The Wall, Figuratively and Literally [25]

05/20: 2008 All-Star Weekend: Meaningless On The Track, But Memorable Off It

05/13: So I Was Just Thinking... NASCAR Odds 'N' Ends [5]

05/06: Kyle Busch: The Sound of One Hand Clapping Drowned Out By A Million Boos [23]

April 2008

04/29: Chalk Up Another One For Toyota [5]

04/22: Mexico City: The Answer To A Question No One Asked [8]

04/15: Playing It Safe: Martin's Team Trades Victory for Conservative Top 5 Finish. Why? [20]

04/08: Is Petty Enterprises Circling The Drain? [7]

04/01: Johnny Benson, Jr. - NASCAR's Longest Overnight Success Story [6]

March 2008

03/25: Five Ways To Save NASCAR From Itself [20]

03/18: The Day The Biscuit Wheels Fell Off Toyota's Gravy Train [30]

03/11: Whoo-Ah! Resurgent Roush Fenway Aiming To Keep Toyota In Check [12]

03/04: Mark Martin: He's Bad, He's Nationwide - The All-Time Wins Leader Continues To Make An Impact In Semi-Retirement [3]

February 2008

02/26: Car of Tomorrow Helps To Provide Parity Today [11]

02/19: Put A Dodge In Your Garage : Dodge Returns To Prominence At Daytona [2]

02/12: Tony Stewart : Center of Controversy Once Again [5]

02/05: Toyota's Preseason Testing Numbers: The Shape of Things To Come? [6]

January 2008

01/23: The Best Of The Frontstretch : Give Me A Break: The Significance of Martin Finally Taking The Week Off As Promised

01/22: The Best Of The Frontstretch: 2007: The Worst NASCAR Season Ever

November 2007

11/15: Driven To The Past: Yeah, Here Come The Rooster.....Ricky Rudd [3]

11/13: Hendrick Motorsports: A Decade of Dominance ... And Then Some [5]

11/08: No Small Feat: Tiny Lund [3]

11/07: Change For The Better: Helping The CoT From Becoming a PoS [10]

11/01: A Racer and A Gentleman: Ned Jarrett [3]

October 2007

10/30: 2007: The Year The Biscuit Wheels Came Off The Gravy Train For Dale Earnhardt, Jr. [6]

10/25: One Fast Cat in a Bad Hot Rod: Rusty Wallace

10/23: Getting Their Just Desserts - NASCAR Driver Earnings Finally Matching Those Of Other Major Athletes [5]

10/18: Three Brothers, Two Championships, and a Monkey: Tim Flock [5]

10/17: NASCAR Fans : Still Reviled Among The Elite [17]

10/10: Ain't No Joke: Joe Weatherly [3]

10/09: Talladega Plus The Car of Tomorrow Equals The NFL And A Nap [8]

10/04: One of the Very Best: Bobby Allison [7]

10/03: Much Ado About Nothing At Kansas: Attempting To Create Controversy Where There Is None [13]

September 2007

09/26: 2007: The Worst NASCAR Season Ever [35]

09/20: Wood, Whiskey, Women, and Winning : Curtis Turner [8]

09/18: Mustangs, Camaros, and Challengers, Oh My! Busch Series To Ponycars in 2009? [13]

09/14: Blaze of Glory: Fireball Roberts [4]

09/12: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Martin Truex, Jr. : How To Handle The Chase for The Championship [1]

09/06: 83 Wins, 4 Daytona 500's, 3 Championships, and 9 Lives - Driven To The Past: Cale Yarborough [1]

09/05: Where's The Beef? Chase For The Championship A Far Cry From Past Battles [15]

August 2007

08/31: Sounds Like A Stock Car Driver: Coo Coo Marlin [3]

08/28: NASCAR: Lacking Southern Flair? [4]

08/23: Best Of Driven To the Past : Alan Kulwicki [1]

08/22: Blew By You: Kurt Busch Making A Case For Legitimate Title Contender...Turning Bud Fans Blue In The Process

08/16: Driven To The Past: Benny Parsons

08/14: Kyle Busch: Giving 110% for a Great Opportunity...And Other Favorite Cliches [2]

08/09: The Best There Could Have Been - Driven To The Past: Tim Richmond [4]

08/07: Pat Tryson: The Right Man, Right Time For Kurt Busch [3]

08/02: Junk In The Trunk - Driven To The Past: Junior Johnson [1]

July 2007

07/31: The Chase For The Cup: Saving Fans From A Championship Already Decided [5]

07/31: NASCAR: Still Showing What's Right With Sports [12]

07/26: A Winner In Any Era - Driven To The Past: Darrell Waltrip [6]

07/25: Turn That Frown Upside Down: DEI / Ginn Merger Has Upside All Around [7]

07/19: Driven To The Past: Phil Parsons

07/17: Kyle Busch: There's Nothing More Dangerous Than A Man With Nothing Left To Lose [18]

07/12: Turning The Blue Oval Gold - Driven To The Past: Fred Lorenzen [1]

07/10: Green & 13: Unlucky as Ever for Ginn Racing [3]

07/05: Driven To The Past: Greg Sacks [1]

07/04: What's In A Suspension? [6]

June 2007

06/28: Driven To The Past: Ricky Craven [4]

06/26: Why Things Aren't So Bad In NASCAR...Despite What You May Think [2]

06/21: Driven To The Past: Morgan Shepherd [3]

06/19: Get Born Again: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Leaves Behind Controlling Fans [32]

06/14: Stock Cars: Slightly Cooler Than Golf - A Father's Day Tribute [1]

06/13: Breaking News! Earnhardt, Jr. To Hendrick! Earth Thrown Off Axis, Headed Towards Sun! [11]

06/07: Wicked Fast - Driven To The Past: Pete Hamilton

May 2007

05/31: This Bud's For You - Driven To The Past: Bud Moore [1]

05/29: Another One Bites The Dust: Roush Racing Losing Talent Hand Over Fist [8]

05/24: Italians Do It Better - Driven To The Past: Mario Andretti [1]

05/20: NASCAR: Pandering To Everyone Except Race Fans [21]

05/17: A More Level Playing Field? Toyota Performing Well In Busch, Not So Much In Cup. [2]

05/17: Smoke 'Em If Ya Got 'Em: Driven To The Past-Dick Trickle [2]

05/15: Who Will Drive The No. 8 in '08? [15]

05/15: Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: One Tough Customer [4]

05/10: Driven To The Past: Lake Speed

05/08: Car of Tomorrow Plus Rain Delay Leads To Throwback Race Weekend

05/03: Driven To The Past: LeeRoy Yarbrough [1]

April 2007

04/30: Phantom Cautions: Nothing New To NASCAR [9]

04/26: Driven To The Past: Davey Allison [4]

04/19: Driven To The Past: Dave Marcis [1]

04/13: Driven To The Past: Bobby Hillin, Jr.

04/11: Playing By NASCAR Rules: Continuing To Dissect Section 12-4 [1]

04/05: Driven To The Past: Bobby Isaac [3]

04/03: NASCAR Rules : Actions Detrimental To Stock Car Racing [4]

04/02: The Voice of Vito : Rubbin's Racin'; Wrecking Is Not [11]

March 2007

03/29: Driven To The Past: Harry Gant [2]

03/22: Driven To The Past: Alan Kulwicki [4]

03/20: Give Me A Break: The Significance of Martin Finally Taking The Week Off As Promised [1]

03/15: Driven To The Past: Rick Mast [1]

03/08: Driven To The Past: Neil Bonnett [2]

03/01: Driven To The Past: Buddy Arrington [1]

February 2007

02/28: All That's Missing Is Some Turnbuckles [5]

02/23: Busch Whacked. Again. [3]

02/22: Salute To You III....IV....Anyone For V? [4]

02/22: Driven To The Past: Ernie Irvan [1]

02/15: Driven To The Past: Geoffrey Bodine

02/08: Driven To The Past : Buddy Baker

02/01: That's History Profiles: Derrike Cope [5]