Tom Bowles

Did You Notice? … NASCAR wasn’t just about the Championship 4 and Chase Elliott‘s first NASCAR title at the ripe old age of 24? Certainly, Elliott’s back-to-back wins to finish the year were impressive; he’s the third-youngest champion in NASCAR history. Elliott’s surging popularity should serve the sport well heading into …

ONE: Chase Elliott Comes Of Age So much happened at Martinsville Speedway Sunday (Nov. 1) it’s easy to forget just how important Chase Elliott‘s win was for his NASCAR Cup Series career. For the first time in five years, Elliott came into the Round of 8 finale needing to cash …

Did You Notice? … The rain delay at Texas Motor Speedway is extending into record-setting territory? As I write this column, we are on our third postponement of a race scheduled to run Sunday, Oct. 25. A misty light rain has fallen seemingly forever, pushing back the start to at least …

Did You Notice? … How far NASCAR diversity has come in just a few short months? Flash back to April 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic was in full swing, and the viability of single-car teams (think: Richard Petty Motorsports / Bubba Wallace and Gaunt Brothers Racing / Daniel Suarez) was in doubt. …

October 19, 2020 was Manic Monday for NASCAR Silly Season. In the course of 12 hours, four major driver announcements connected most of the final puzzle pieces in the 2021 Cup Series garage. Rarely do we see so much news drop in such a short period of time. Let’s take …

Did You Notice?… With four races left in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, four drivers remain winless who won a race in 2019. That’s a relatively small number from year-to-year as the sport’s strongest teams and drivers have remained stable. Some of that could be due to the COVID-19 …

1. Parity Inside the NASCAR Cup Series Round of 8 And then there were eight. Four races remain in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, and we’re down to the semifinal round. Beginning with Sunday’s (Oct. 18) race at Kansas Speedway, drivers can start punching their tickets to this year’s …

Did You Notice? … Matt DiBenedetto will spend 2021 racing for his NASCAR survival… again? An Oct. 8 announcement DiBenedetto will remain with Wood Brothers Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2021 was paired with the reality he’ll be kicked out by 2022. Ford made the decision to keep the …

Did You Notice? … Talladega Superspeedway is often referred to as the track “where anyone can win.” Pack racing keeps the entire field of 40 cars stuck together like superglue most of the event. Add in Russian Roulette-style wrecks that often eliminate 15, sometimes 20 cars at once and you get …

Did You Notice? … Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan are teaming up to form a NASCAR Cup Series team in 2021? They’ll run Toyotas with Bubba Wallace as the driver, announcing the move and the purchase of Germain Racing’s charter on Monday night (Sept. 21). It’s a move rumored for weeks, …