Kansas Speedway was added to the Cup Series schedule in 2001, perhaps the pinnacle of NASCAR’s financial success if certainly not its peak of on-track competitiveness. Back then, new race tracks patterned after the 1.5 mile tri-oval at Charlotte were popping up coast to coast like crabgrass on a springtime …

Once upon a time far, far away but not all that long ago, at least in the grand scheme of things, a bunch of men with big plans sat down at the racing round table to hatch a scheme to take over the world. (Or at the very least, make …

It seems like the only inalterable rule in life is that change is inevitable — and I very much doubt that will ever change. Though if in fact change is inalterable inevitably, then someday that must in fact change as well. Only some of you were around this grand blue …

Whatever your tastes and temperament are when it comes to racing, this weekend was a virtual smorgasbord of racing around what Jim McKay used to call “The Wide World of Sports.” Below are some random ruminations on the highlights.  A goodly percentage of NASCAR fans went to bed shortly before …

One primary problem when race fans get together to debate (OK, argue) whether a race was “good” or not, is defining what makes for a “good” race. Plenty of passing? An unexpected outcome? And if the last three laps are nailbiters that have the majority of the crowd on their …

Wake up every one! The actual 2019 Cup season will now officially begin. Yeah, OK, it’s actually September 9 as this is written, but I’m using an artistic license that currently isn’t revoked. Yes, they’ve been racing the Cup cars since the frosty days of February into a rainy spring …

A funny thing happened in Philadelphia near my home base this week.  Of course, the usually litany of not so funny things happened as well, including a huge church fire, the usual list of shootings of innocents that is totally unacceptable, the annual flocking of the shoe-bees to the shore …

The Peter principle is a longtime cautionary career warning. It states that within a hierarchy, men or women will tend to rise to their level of incompetence. Thus, a hotshot entry level management new hire might do a bang-up job drawing notice and praise from his superiors. As such, he …

I’ll spare you the sleigh bells, slurred toasts and hymns sung slightly out of tune, but for longtime, hardcore stock car racing fans, the argument can be made this is in fact the most wonderful time of the year. With Michigan out of the way, the magical mystery tour that …

Editor’s note: Senior writer Matt McLaughlin is off this week to celebrate a milestone birthday. Which one? We’ll let him tell it when he returns if he so chooses. In the meantime, please enjoy one of his classic columns from the past, the first of a two-part series paying tribute …