Holding A Pretty Wheel

The end of Saturday night’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway marks the halfway point in the 2018 season.  After 17 races of the 36-race schedule, we’ve seen just six different winners, the fewest in four decades.  Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch have 10 of those …

Long, hot days give way to sultry nights, tracks are hot and slick and expectations and frustrations mount.  It’s summer in NASCAR, and with 12 races to go in the sport’s regular season, there’s a rivalry brewing right along with the summer storms. Or is there? 2018 to date has …

To NASCAR’s future purchaser: Congratulations on your acquisition.  You have an exciting time in store for you, and I wish you the best of luck in your new endeavor. Your position is somewhat unenviable; our sport has come to a crossroads in recent years.  It’s grown exponentially, changed immensely and …

So, this All-Star Race. NASCAR released the format for its All-Star event next month, and well, color me a bit underwhelmed. Two things went down: a change to the rules package for the cars and another to the format of the race itself. Let’s talk about the cars first.  NASCAR …

There was a time when a NASCAR driver was practically synonymous with his sponsor — that blue STP car was so recognizable as Richard Petty’s ride that “Petty Blue” is a color in every fan’s frame of reference. Though Dale Earnhardt drove the Wrangler ride for several years, one look …

“I like Martin Truex Jr. and all, but I hope he doesn’t dominate like he did last year.  He won too much; it was boring.” This topic came up in a conversation during the offseason, where the racing talk turns to deeper discussion debating the finer points of the sport. …

I reconnected with an old friend not so long ago.  She was someone I knew well a lifetime ago, and we still get together every now and again.  Our paths diverged several years back when I moved to North Carolina.  She was a diehard race fan when we spent weekends …

It’s hard to ignore the grey in the beard or the lines around the eyes these days.  No longer a kid, but several years older and seven times wiser, Jimmie Johnson looks through the eyes of a champion. But these days, the worry lines are a bit deeper, the eyes …

Once a year, NASCAR fans can go to the track and step back in time. When NASCAR returned the Labor Day weekend race to Darlington Raceway, the track and teams embraced the move by honoring the sport’s oldest speedway with a throwback theme. Teams adorned their cars with the colors …

Martin Truex, Jr. is pretty much the king of the hill in NASCAR this season. He leads driver points by 48 markers, is tied with Jimmie Johnson for the most wins in the Cup Series this season and has 14 stage wins. That’s double the number of Kyle Busch, who’s …