Aaron Bearden

So… they really threw the kitchen sink at that one, huh? NASCAR’s annual Cup Series All-Star Race has become as much of a testing ground for the sport as a genuine race in recent years. While the race itself has often struggled to deliver consistently, NASCAR has gotten value out …

As I made the decision that hot June day, it all seemed so simple.  Three months of races, 13 straight weeks.  How bad could it be?  Little did I know how relentless the stretch would be, or just how much I would learn about myself and motorsports along the way.  …

The Greatest Day in Motorsport will be a shell of its traditional self.  But thanks to NASCAR, it won’t be entirely empty, either. With the NASCAR Cup Series done with a flexible shift to Darlington Raceway to restart the 2020 season, the tour is now preparing for its Memorial Day …

While I was making the long post-day-job drive from Indiana to North Carolina on Friday, I did so with a slight twinkle in my eye. I wasn’t going to make it to the track that day — my drive ended an hour from Charlotte at 1 a.m. — but I …

It’s taken a few years and 25 races to get here, but there’s playoff drama to be found heading into this weekend’s Cup Series regular season finale at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  After years where the playoff field was largely decided in the weeks prior to the finale, a quartet of …

Five months, 1,000 podcasts and one qualifying format change ago, I came to write this monthly column and found my mind wandering to multiple different things. NASCAR’s 2019 rules package was fresh on everyone’s mind, a few standout teams were dominating the series and others were quietly establishing themselves as …

There’s a great rivalry brewing in the NASCAR garage, one filled with stars from various backgrounds competing for different manufacturers and each bringing their own personality and flavor to the championship chase. Here’s the thing, though – it isn’t in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. NASCAR’s best young rivalry …

NASCAR and Formula 1 have traditionally existed as tours with little to compare either on-track or off. Their competitors brought contrasting backgrounds and styles. Races played out in different manners with each tour. Even the track layouts (ovals vs. circuits) and vocabulary (crash vs. shunt) were worlds apart between the …

Last weekend was a difficult weather weekend for the midwest. Continual rain and a passing cold front made for cold, largely wet nights amid a month filled with near-constant moisture. For most people in the area, the weekend was a quiet one, spent largely indoors with hopes of sunlight and …

I confess that I’ve spent the better part of this week removed from the racing world. Only occasional motorsports stories like the rules package with potential elements of the 2021 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series car being utilized in the upcoming Monster Energy All-Star Race have caught my eye for more …