Race Weekend Central

Beside the Rising Tide: Hey, Where Did Everybody Go?

Cars speed past the grandstand in the 2021 Daytona 500 Photo: NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

There’s an element of grim curiosity to it over the last few years, but I still search out the TV ratings for each week’s Cup race. Those rating numbers have been trending down over the last few years, and in fact, last few decades. To borrow a line from the inestimable Donald Fagen, “The time …

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Beside the Rising Tide: The Raw Emotions of Dale Earnhardt’s Death 20 Years Later

Dale Earnhardt Sr. Tribute 2011

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Time flies. Tempus fugit. So my well-intended, if not nearly constantly intoxicated freshman Latin teacher taught me back when I attended a prep-school on Philadelphia’s well-heeled Main Line. Well, time didn’t seem to fly when you’re sitting slack-jawed with glazed over eyes wondering what sort of vengeful God was punishing you for your sins by …

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Beside the Rising Tide: Has The Busch Clash Outlived Its Use?

The Busch Clash at Daytona 2017 Photo: Nigel Kiinrade/Nigel Kinrade Photography

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

Perhaps it’s related to the Chaos Theory, but left to their own devices, once simple ideas tend to become bloated, overly-complicated and less fun than they were in their original permutations. To cite one notable example, the Ford Mustang took the automobile world by storm in April of 1964. The svelte new car (which could …

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Beside the Rising Tide: The Best of Everything

Nascar Cup Series

#48: Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet Camaro Ally

Welcome loyal readers to the last regularly scheduled 2020 function for Club 61; to whit, my last weekly column for 2020. In honor of the momentousness of the occasion, I have decided not to submit this week’s effort in crayon. Club 61 isn’t a place. It’s a statistical anomaly that a bunch of my longest …

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Beside the Rising Tide: NASCAR’s Famous Final Scene – 2020 Edition

2020 Charlotte Road Cup Denny Hamlin Kevin Harvick Racing Nkp

To quote Charles Dickens; “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the …

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Beside the Rising Tide: An Open Letter to Michael Jordan

2019 Mencs Sonoma Joe Gibbs Denny Hamlin

Photo: Danny Peters

Dear Mr. Michael Jordan, Firstly, welcome to the sport of NASCAR racing as a team owner. I am genuinely thrilled to have a person of your stature and instant name recognition decide to throw your lot in with us. I understand you’ve been a fan of stock car racing since your childhood. I never knew …

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Beside the Rising Tide: The 70% Solution

Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Last week, in a rare two-part column, we looked at the changes to the Cup schedule that lie ahead in 2021. Arguably the most notable “readjustments” to that schedule were the tracks at Kentucky and Chicagoland losing their sole Cup dates.  While snagging a Cup date (which was notoriously difficult to do) once was all …

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Beside the Rising Tide: Your Regularly Scheduled Program, Part II

Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Yesterday (March 5), I hit on the major changes that were made to the schedule for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series schedule and detailed the first part of the season. Today, we complete that journey and break down the rest of the changes being made. All told, there are six road course events on the …

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Beside the Rising Tide: Your Regularly Scheduled Program, Part I

2011 Nascar Nationwide Series, Nashville

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Last Wednesday (Sept. 30) NASCAR finally released the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series schedule. There had been rumors all summer that the new schedule would bring about some major change to the slate of races next year, and boy it did all of that and then some.  Not unexpectedly, the Daytona 500 will still kick the …

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Beside the Rising Tide: The Invisible Men

Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Something remarkable happened a couple weeks ago during the Bristol Cup race. As such, I feel compelled to remark upon it since I am able.  Tyler Reddick finished fourth that evening. Chris Buescher finished eighth. Ryan Preece finished ninth, his best Cup finish to date this year. Michael McDowell left Bristol with a solid top-10 …

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Beside the Rising Tide: The Playoffs Are Ruining NASCAR Racing

2020 Bristol Cup Kevin Harvick Car Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

It’s that time of year again. Overnight, four NASCAR Cup Series drivers were eliminated from the Round of 16 championship-eligible drivers down to the Round of 12. Somehow the indifferent old sun did what it always does and went ahead and rose Sunday morning. My guess is that it will do so again as the …

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