Frontstretch 5

1. Saving it under the lights Kyle Busch has done a few things over the years, good and bad, that have made my jaw hit the floor in shock. But in the 2012 Bud Shootout at Daytona International Speedway, he did it three times in less than two hours. First, …

1. Mechanical grip… and a different approach 2019 might not be remembered as the year with the most exciting racing, but it might go down as something else: the year NASCAR became dedicated to real, meaningful change in the sport. One of those changes that’s on the way in two …

1. It’s been Kevin Harvick’s personal playground, but… Harvick has a whopping nine wins in Phoenix. Wins are, of course, the name of the game, so they’re important. He’s is the all-time win leader at ISM Raceway; next on the list is Jimmie Johnson with four, less than half of …

1. Denny Hamlin Yes, that Denny Hamlin. He just won the biggest race of the year in Daytona, but Hamlin’s got some unfinished business. The Daytona win puts him in the Playoffs and gives him plenty of time to prepare, but the one thing missing from Hamlin’s resume is a …

Atlanta Motor Speedway All eyes are, of course, on this weekend’s race in Atlanta, the first full-length event for the new aerodynamic package. The low-downforce package is out, replaced by a high-drag, low-horsepower model.  NASCAR scrapped a high-downforce high power package a few years ago, hoping that slower speeds would …

1. What will the new aerodynamic package look like in real time? That’s the big question that everyone is asking, but don’t expect the answer to be immediate or definitive. The low horsepower, high downforce package will debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway in a week and a half, but don’t …

1. The Closer It’s really hard to deny that Kevin Harvick is the most deserving title candidate so far. He leads the Cup Series in wins (eight), top fives (21), top 10s (27), laps led (1859) and total playoff points (51). Take away the playoffs and he’d be currently be …

1. NASCAR Cup Series: 2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400; 0.002 seconds With five laps to go at Darlington Raceway, Darrell Waltrip said that if Ricky Craven could catch leader Kurt Busch, it would be “really, really exciting.” Truer words have never been spoken. The finish in this race was nothing …

1. The money When NASCAR’s popularity hit its high point around 2000, business was booming. And like any boom time, the sport had the luxury of making a lot of changes very fast. It wasn’t unlike the California gold rush. Everyone wanted a piece of the sport and the sport …

1. Well, yeah, we messed up, but, just deal, OK? Former journeyman driver Brett Bodine is the current lead pace car driver for NASCAR. Ironic, considering his only Cup Series victory came about because of a pace car miscue. In a race at North Wilkesboro in 1990, Bodine had led …