Race Weekend Central

By Frontstretch

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.

Did You Notice? … Key Moments For Roush, Junior, Short Tracks

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*Did You Notice?…* Roush Fenway Racing is at a crossroads? Heading to Texas, where they’ve won the last two spring races, they’re still waiting for last year’s winner Greg Biffle to break through. Without a top-5 finish yet this season, he’s sixth in points but has been nearly invisible up front as Ford’s once unquestioned top organization has taken a back seat to newcomer Penske Racing.

They’ve also lost their most successful star. Gone is Matt Kenseth, moving to Joe Gibbs Racing, where he’s been immediately successful, winning once and contending in several other races. While RFR was struggling Sunday, at a short track that’s long been one of their weakest tracks, Kenseth was busy trying to lap them, a contender to win from the drop of the green until a late-race fade to 14th. After a 2012 rift some still struggle to explain, he’s run circles around his former organization right off the bat.

Open Wheel Wednesday: Pocono Test Important For IndyCar’s Future

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There is a rather important event happening today in the world of IndyCar. No, its not a race, and it’s not a promotional event. It’s a test, one that will have massive implications on the future of IndyCar’s relationship with major American oval tracks. That test will be held at the gorgeous and historically rich Pocono Raceway, and there is no shortage of reasons why this day needs to go off without a hitch.

Now, to all the NASCAR fans that comprise the majority of motorsports fans in America today, the words “Pocono Raceway” evoke images of strung out parades and five-second margins of victory. The oft-maligned motorsports facility located in eastern Pennsylvania is routinely listed as one of the tracks that the average fan would most like to see left off the schedule. Pocono is a track with which, by and large, motorsports fans these days have little admiration or respect for.

NASCAR Writer Power Rankings: Top 15 After Martinsville I

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It seems that during the week off, post-Fontana everyone was able to cool their tempers for one of the sport’s most “temperamental” tracks. Martinsville, surprisingly did not produce any retaliation from Bristol or California, perhaps because a key player in the feud has been sidelined for at least six weeks. Due to his L1 compression fracture, Denny Hamlin can be nothing more than a spectator as he recovers from his injury. He will be replaced by Mark Martin and Brian Vickers, who are currently each running a partial schedule for Michael Waltrip Racing.

Five Points to Ponder: Genius Of Hendrick, Gibbs, Martin And McMurray?

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*ONE: Hendrick and Gibbs Ahead of the Game for Now*

We’ll start off this week with a simple review of the facts: Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing have won five of the six races so far and occupy positions one (Jimmie Johnson), three (Dale Earnhardt Jr.), four (Kyle Busch), five (Kasey Kahne), 10 (Matt Kenseth) and 12th (Jeff Gordon) in the standings. Denny Hamlin would undoubtedly be in that mix too had he raced at Martinsville. The point is this: Gibbs and Hendrick are ahead of the game with the new Gen-6.

Racing To The Point: Brian France’s Legacy Hinges On Trust

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The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and Sprint Cup Series spent the weekend in Martinsville. You can bet your butt that NASCAR CEO and Chairman Brian France didn’t.

NASCAR’s leader prefers to watch from afar. He’ll show up during Speedweeks in Daytona and for when the Sprint Cup trophy is awarded at Homestead, but his stops on the NASCAR calendar are few are far between.

Who’s Hot And Who’s Not In Sprint Cup: Martinsville-Texas Edition

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The tight confines of Martinsville Speedway were the setting for NASCAR’s return to action after Easter break. Minus Denny Hamlin, some familiar faces put on an all-too-familiar show at Sprint Cup’s smallest track.

HOT

Martinsville Speedway has always been kind to Jimmie Johnson, and the running of the STP Gas Booster 500 proved no different. The five-time champion appeared better than ever at the 0.526-mile oval, winning Sunday for the eighth time.

Going By the Numbers: How Much To Make Of A NASCAR Debut

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One was already known well before he debuted, the benefactor of a last name beloved by many in NASCAR circles. The other, though not part of the conversation in NASCAR just yet, has rattled off impressive statistics in multiple racing series, including four top-five finishes in the 2012 ARCA Racing Series as a 15- and 16-year-old.

When it comes to NASCAR, both can lay claim to the same thing: a top-10 in their first Camping World Truck Series race.

Chase Elliott and Erik Jones, two up-and-coming youngsters who have made waves in stock cars even before their 18th birthdays, made their NASCAR debuts last Saturday in the Kroger 250 at Martinsville, joining fellow rookies Devin Jones, Robert Bruce and Grant Galloway.

The Wood Bros Racing Museum: Where Family Did Win

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Shining stands climb to the sky, ready to be occupied by 70,000 screaming fans. On your way into the track, nice shiny haulers decked out in familiar logos hawk t-shirts and stuffed toys manufactured by name brand monstrosities. The TV coverage begins with music you know by heart and commentators appear dressed in safe, ordinary …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Martinsville Race Recap

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*Key Moment* – Joe Gibbs and Rick Hendrick spent their money to enter stock car racing? Seriously, on a day where Jimmie Johnson set a career high for laps led, where Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing led all but two laps, it’s hard to find a “defining moment.” Maybe Friday afternoon when Jimmie Johnson won the pole? When a driver “owns” a track, like Johnson has owned Martinsville during his career, earning the quickest route off pit lane just makes it that much easier for him to whip the field. He used that first pit stall to regain control, late in the race and it was all over but the burnouts after that.