Did You Notice? … Ford’s future prospects were hanging on 70-something-aged owners? That’s the backbone to me of Thursday’s surprise announcement Stewart-Haas Racing would be switching to Ford in 2017. The four-car team will finally break away from its partnership with Hendrick Motorsports, shifting over to the Blue Oval camp while receiving engines from Roush Yates. The …
Did You Notice? … Dale Earnhardt is dead? Look, I don’t mean to be insensitive. That crash at the end of the 2001 Daytona 500 shocked the world, left a nation in mourning and woke up millions to the depth of NASCAR affection across America. It left children without a father, provided a popularity boost …
Did You Notice? Another Sprint Cup year is in the books? A season chock full of criticism and controversy at times ended on a high note; television ratings for the Chase finale at Homestead were the highest we’ve seen in 10 years. Kyle Busch became a controversial champion to some (considering he missed 11 races earlier …
Did You Notice? Kevin Harvick could put an exclamation point on one of the better seasons of NASCAR’s modern era? After a second-place result Sunday at Phoenix he now has 19 top-three finishes in 35 starts. That’s a number not soon to be repeated in an era where 20 to 25 cars are capable of winning …
Did You Notice? There was no penalty for a trio of Joe Gibbs Racing teams accused of trying to alter the splitters on their racecars? Our Jerry Jordan reported splitters had been adjusted to curve further inward, shaped with Bondo or resin in a way to push the car lower and closer to the racetrack. …
Did You Notice? Every controversy we’ve seen in NASCAR this year has revolved around… rules? We changed the rules package for 2015 even though there was great racing the year before. Restart rules have been continually criticized, tweaked and remain a major sore spot. Green-white-checkered rules were modified, then mishandled in the wake of scary …
Did You Notice? How to get away with murder from a sporting perspective? Kevin Harvick has mastered the craft, deftly dodging questions about whether his Talladega wreck was intentional Tuesday while knowing NASCAR has finalized their decision not to penalize him on the incident. “Look, I just tried to get going and thinking and try …
Did You Notice? The number of green-white-checkered finishes has been reduced for Talladega? NASCAR announced Tuesday it’s down to one instead of the standard three to help curb the carnage seen since the rule was put in place last decade. The change has its merit although it’s less likely to be used than you think. The …
Did You Notice? Past performance is not always a guarantee of future success? I took the results of each remaining Chaser from earlier in the year, then added up the points from their performances at Charlotte, Kansas, and Talladega to simulate the next round of the postseason. Here’s how it all shakes out… Dale Earnhardt Jr. …
Did You Notice? Owners are desperate to inject some long-term financial stability into their teams? NASCAR met with the Race Team Alliance Tuesday and is working on a proposal that would introduce a type of “franchising” system assuring Sprint Cup teams both leverage and automatic qualification for the 2016 season and beyond. NASCAR spokesman Brett …
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