Frontstretch 5

1. The venue The All-Star Race has been held at Charlotte Motor Speedway for many years, and quite a few fans feel that it’s time for a change. Is it? From the fans’ point of view, sure. Charlotte doesn’t produce a lot of door-to-door racing anymore, and moving the race …

Matt Kenseth’s Return to Racing Last season, Joe Gibbs Racing announced Erik Jones would move from his Furniture Row Racing ride to pilot the No. 20 Toyota for the organization this season, leaving 2003 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Matt Kenseth looking for a place to continue racing in …

1. A fitting tribute In July 1993 I was about to take a week’s vacation that centered around that weekend’s Pocono Cup race. In fact, on the way home I stopped at the corner Texaco to fill up my truck and dirt bikes for the trip and while there picked …

1. Kyle Larson While Larson has yet to score a Cup win at Dover International Speedway, he has led 463 laps at the 1-mile oval.  That’s good for sixth among all active drivers, and Larson has done it in just eight races—that’s between eight and 26 fewer races than anyone …

1. How much magic will there be? Once upon a time, Matt Kenseth and Roush Fenway Racing made a lot of magic together. 24 of Kenseth’s 39 Cup wins came in a Roush Ford, along with his 2003 title, which is often (unfairly) maligned as the title run that forced …

1. What happened to loyalty? It seems like loyalty in NASCAR is becoming a thing of the past as a changing business model takes effect. At least to the naked eye, drivers seem to be the most loyal of the driver-team-sponsor triumvirate. You don’t see drivers walking out all that …

1. This air wrench deal There is a myriad of issues NASCAR fans have been vocal about as of late, and not all of them are easy fixes. Some should be exceedingly easy, even if that means admitting mistakes were made, while others are complicated. There are a few changes …

Hendrick Motorsports Just a few weeks ago, it was easy to explain the organization’s struggles: it was too early to tell; Chevrolet is behind the curve – which may still be the case; the team has two new drivers. And the thing is, all of that is completely true. But …

1. More than half the field from the 2012 Bank of America 500 is no longer racing in the Cup Series Take a look at the field for the 2012 Bank of America 500. One thing fans will be sure to notice is the number of drivers who have exited …

1. The team factor At the end of every day, when all is said and done, an inspection failure is on the team.  NASCAR took a lot of flack last weekend when 13 cars failed to make it through pre-qualifying tech at Fontana, but it’s not the sanctioning body’s responsibility …