Race Weekend Central

What’s Vexing Vito: Should Dale Earnhardt Jr. & Tony Eury Jr. Split Up?

Like many NASCAR journalists keeping up with the sport, I was thumbing through the article links on Jayski the other day – mainly to see if my most recent submission was featured – and came across an article written by Terry Blount of ESPN where he suggested it was time for Tony Eury Jr. and …

Read more

Fanning the Flames: Confusing Contingency Awards, NASCAR’s Aero Dependence Gone Awry & Rain-Outs

Once again, some random, midweek thoughts whilst sitting on the front porch swing and enjoying the blooming Bradford Pears on a rare 70-degree afternoon in March here in Nashville: Atlanta attendance listed at 94,400? Try 9,440. I don’t care what you may think of the FOX broadcast crew’s coverage, the cutaway car is very well …

Read more

Thompson in Turn 5: Bruton Smith Dissin’ on South Florida, Homestead-Miami Speedway & President Obama

Speedway Motorsports Inc. President and CEO Bruton Smith seems to have adopted the “best defense is a good offense” philosophy last Friday while entertaining reporters at his Atlanta Motor Speedway. Smith, undoubtedly aware that the upcoming Sprint Cup race at the Hampton, Ga. 1.5-mile motorsports facility would be embarrassingly under-attended, instead took shots at southern …

Read more

It’s Not a Sport, It’s a Business: The Start & Park Phenomenon Threatening NASCAR’s Future

At Fontana just a few short weeks ago, millions of NASCAR fans everywhere breathed a sigh of relief. After offseason talk there wouldn’t be enough teams to fill the field in each of its top-three divisions, the Cup, Nationwide and Truck series divisions all had enough cars to fill an entry list for the second …

Read more

Voice of Vito: Don’t Jump, It’s Not Worth It! NASCAR’s Biggest Names Stumbling Along the Ledge on Off-Weekend

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is off this week, giving some teams a much-needed break. Not so much from the cross-country grind that is the first month of the season, but rather to the stop the bleeding instead. For some teams, the first few races have gone like Rocky’s first few rounds with Clubber Lang: …

Read more

Did You Notice? DNFs Are a Good Thing, NASCAR Needs a Senior Tour & Menard’s Mediocrity?

Did You Notice? The complaints over the amount of engine failures to start the 2009 Sprint Cup season? To be honest, I like the unpredictability that’s been added back into the outcome of a race. For a while there, it looked like parts and pieces had become so invincible there was no doubt as to …

Read more

Mirror Driving: Substitute NASCAR Drivers, Runaway Tires & are the Busches the Best Siblings Ever?

Welcome to Mirror Driving. Every week, your favorite columnists sit down and give their opinion about the latest NASCAR news and rumors. Love us or hate us, make a comment below and tell us how you feel about what we’ve said! This Week’s Participants: Vito Pugliese (Wednesdays/Voice of Vito) Beth Lunkenheimer (Tuesdays/Running Your Mouth & Various/Frontstretch Truck …

Read more

Beyond the Cockpit: David Ragan Talks UPS, Getting Aggressive & Roush’s Future

Much is expected of David Ragan in 2009 after having a breakthrough season in Sprint Cup in 2008. Coming within a Richmond wreck of making his first ever Chase for the Championship, the sophomore driver ended up 13th in the final standings, earning him a big-money reward in the form of new, top-tier sponsor UPS …

Read more

Fan’s View: Chasing Tires & Consequences – a NASCAR Crewman’s Desperate Disaster

It was the worst possible scenario. By lap 67, all but six cars had pitted on a green-flag run, then the dreaded yellow flag dropped. Unless you were one of the lucky fans whose driver had held off, the pit of your stomach dropped out. No… no… NO! Almost the entire field was a lap …

Read more

Who’s Hot/Who’s Not in Sprint Cup: 2009 Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Edition

As the 2009 season wears on, some of the teams that have had early success are finding themselves in a points standings freefall. As they disappear from view, the composition of the top 12 is starting to take form, with annual contenders slowly creeping towards and into that coveted threshold. The season may be early …

Read more