Did You Notice?

Did You Notice? … Three of the top 5 drivers in laps led this season are from Hendrick Motorsports? So far this season, as NASCAR evaluates its new rules package, it’s been a case of “status quo” near the top of the leaderboard. A quick look at the top 5 …

Did You Notice? … Two races into 2014, Kevin Harvick is the only Stewart-Haas Racing car with either a top-5 or top-10 finish? SHR’s struggle has been notable as Tony Stewart was off the pace at Atlanta, uncompetitive long before getting caught up in a mid-race accident. Regan Smith has run …

Did You Notice? … A Toyota has never won the Daytona 500 in eight tries? In fact, the Camry make has scored just one trophy at the 2.5-mile superspeedway, taking the July 2008 race with Kyle Busch. The manufacturer is known more here for what they’ve done wrong (see: Michael …

Did You Notice?… There’s more competitive teams than last year in each of NASCAR’s top three divisions? After years of declining financial opportunities, where the economy, attendance and competition all played a role, it looks like the number of sponsorships in the sport are tilting upward. Let’s take the Cup …

Did You Notice? … The audience increased for this year’s version of the Chase? Homestead ratings, released Tuesday wrapped up the latest ten-race version of NASCAR’s playoff, a 3.1 Nielsen number flat year-to-year but still good enough to keep the audience rising. Yes, executives around the sport are trumpeting how …

Did You Notice? … Each of the four drivers remaining would be a first-time NASCAR champion? While Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and Ryan Newman have had successful years before, nothing has quite prepared them for the magnitude of Sunday’s season finale. In the midst of the drama, each …

Did You Notice? … No drivers were penalized in Tuesday’s list of fines and suspensions doled out after the Texas brawl? NASCAR chose instead to come down hard on four crew members, all from Hendrick Motorsports whose punches were clearly captured either through photos or video footage obtained from the …

Did You Notice?… There’s still plenty more going on these days than the Chase? As we enter the final three races of 2014, here’s a quick look at some great stories going on that have been buried by NASCAR’s “playoffs, playoffs, playoffs…” Kyle Larson. Yeah, he was terrible at Martinsville …

Did You Notice?… How ratings keep declining in this Chase? Talladega, the Russian Roulette 500-miler of the playoffs should have been a “can’t miss” race for those interested in the sport’s new format. There’s no event more unpredictable for an “elimination” event, whereby the checkered flag Sprint Cup’s postseason field …

Did You Notice? … Sam Hornish, Jr.’s strategy worked? His choice to run a limited schedule, in top-notch Nationwide equipment as opposed to running full-time with a struggling team paid off this week. Hornish will be the replacement for Marcos Ambrose in 2015, driving the No. 9 Ford for a …