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Bringing the Heat: Jerry Nadeau Talks Life After Racing, Pt. 1

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NASCAR’s Hidden Gem… For How Much Longer?

Oct 15, 2012
There’s a mystery driver these days putting up big time numbers – just without the big time accolades to go with it. He has six victories in the last three years, more than Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, or Kurt Busch on the Cup Series level. During that span, his 53 top-10 finishes collected are greater than all but three drivers: Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, and Kevin Harvick. It’s a collection of stats made more impressive by the fact that A) he’s switched teams the last two years and B) he’s never been the number one driver in any organization he’s been a part of. When are we going to give Clint Bowyer the credit he’s due?
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It’s another walk to Victory Lane for Bowyer

Oct 14, 2012
By JEFF WOLFE Clint Bowyer doesn’t care how he gets to Victory Lane, even if it means going by foot rather than car. Bowyer won the third time this season in a fuel-mileage saving effort to take Saturday night’s Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It was Bowyer’s eighth career win and significantly …

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Nationwide Breakdown: Dollar General 300

Oct 13, 2012
Joey Logano proved once again that the Nationwide series is his world and the rest of the Nationwide drivers are just squirrels trying to get a nut. Logano led a race high six times for 62 laps. Logano beat Kevin Harvick to the line for the win. Elliott Sadler, the series point leader came home in third. Kyle Busch drove the No. 54 to a fourth place finish with Denny Hamlin finishing up the top 5. Logano has not run all of the races on the Nationwide schedule this season but, when he has climbed behind the wheel in the junior series, he’s won almost half of the races. This victory is number eight for the year for Logano in Nationwide competition, far and away the most in the series. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is second in season wins with five while Sadler has four. The race was slowed by five cautions, four of them for on track incidents. There were nine leaders who participated in a total of 21 lead changes. Sadler played it conservatively because he is the leader in the point battle, and in the end added to his point lead by not opening himself up to potential pit road pitfalls.
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Oval Office: Friday NASCAR Observations From Charlotte

Oct 13, 2012
Well, it’s certainly been an eventful week. On and off the track, it’s been many things, but boring isn’t one of them. From a wild and crazy Talladega race that sparked heated debate about restrictor plate racing, to Kurt Busch in the headlines for more than just his change of rides, to the first Cup race without an Earnhardt in the field in 33 years, the stories just keep on coming, and in the background is a Chase that’s shaping up to be a three-horse race among a brash, outspoken new threat, a five-time champion, and a once-spurned rival. No matter which side of the fence you sit on, no matter which dog you have in the fight, it’s great to have so much to think about. I live in the Charlotte area and have spent a beautiful autumn weekend at the track. Fall is a little bittersweet; while the end of the racing season is a needed break for all, it’s also a little sad knowing that it’s almost over. I’ve been busy this weekend, but I’ve also had time to think about a lot of things, from the big stories to the smallest ones…and here is a little bit of everything.
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Elliott Sadler wins Nationwide Pole for the Dollar General 300

Oct 12, 2012
With the Nationwide race for the championship winding down to a three horse race, every small advantage is going to be a positive influence for teams and drivers. Point leader Elliott Sadler laid down another gauntlet at Charlotte by setting the fast time in qualifying for the Dollar General 300 for the Nationwide Series Friday …

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Did You Notice?…Common Sense Behind Junior’s Big-Time Concussion

Oct 11, 2012
*Did You Notice?…* Today’s concussion diagnosis isn’t the first or even second since Junior’s last bout with this type of injury in 2002? Here’s a quick reminder of what Earnhardt told us in his press conference Thursday morning, a two-week “leave of absence” that might eclipse any piece of news collected this season – even the upcoming champion to be crowned come Homestead. (In case you’ve been living on an outpost, right now Earnhardt confirmed he’ll step out of the No. 88 due to a head injury initially suffered during a Kansas tire test, the end of August and then re-aggravated during Sunday’s last-lap wreck at Talladega.)
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Four Burning Questions: Can Johnson and Co. Regain Lost Momentum?

Oct 11, 2012
Charlotte Motor Speedway is the site of Round 5 of the Chase for the Sprint Cup, and as the Chase reaches it’s midpoint, the championship picture is becoming increasingly clear. After emerging from the last lap mayhem at Talladega with minimal damage, Brad Keselowski also emerged from Talladega with a 14 point lead in the Championship over his nearest foe, Jimmie Johnson. Denny Hamlin is still very much in the hunt for the title as well, but a poor finish at Talladega set his number 11 team back a good bit. With this Saturday night’s race looming as another important step in the Chase for the Championship, here are the big stories to watch heading into Charlotte.
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Voices from the Cheapseats: Repercussions of a Jr. Concussion

Oct 11, 2012
In light of Dale Jr.’s shocking announcement yesterday, there are a few observations and/or questions that I’d like to throw out there. As I read through the “transcript”:http://www.jayski.com/news/teams/story/_/page/88-Hendrick-NASCAR-Team-News of the news conference, the first thing that caught my eye were a few statements that seemed a bit off. Well duh, you say, the man has a concussion! Yeah, that’s very funny and all, but here is what struck me as strange.
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Dakoda Armstrong Driver Diary: Sponsors, Championship and Football

Oct 11, 2012
Just days after our last diary, I was released from ThorSport Racing. I knew we didn’t have all of the season funded and we were trying to work on it. It just got to the point where it’s hard to get more sponsorship in the middle of the year. We got to a point where we needed to hire the rest of the guys on the team and write their contracts out for the rest of the year and we couldn’t commit. We only had enough for one more race and that’s how the deal with Turner came about. Instead of just dragging it out for one more race, everyone wanted to get ready to do their own thing. I guess it worked out up there because there were some of the guys that got new jobs, so a lot of my guys got to go to the No. 88 or the No. 13; that was good.
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Earnhardt’s Absence Comes At the Wrong Time for NASCAR, But It’s Still the Right Decision

Oct 11, 2012
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. knew he didn’t feel right. Struggling with headaches in the days following a multicar crash at Talladega, Earnhardt finally had to admit that something wasn’t right. It wasn’t the aches and pains a driver can feel for a few days after a hard hit, and deep down, Earnhardt knew it. “I knew that I didn’t feel (right)—you know your body and you know how your mind works, and I knew something was not quite right,” Earnhardt said on Thursday. The lingering headaches prompted Earnhardt to contact Dr. Jerry Petty, a Charlotte neurosurgeon who has worked with numerous athletes, including other drivers.
Earnhardt Out For Charlotte and Kansas After Talldega Concussion

Earnhardt Out For Charlotte and Kansas After Talldega Concussion

Oct 11, 2012
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. will miss at least the next two races after being diagnosed with a concussion following a multi-car crash last week at Talladega Superspeedway. Regan Smith will fill in for Earnhardt in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 88, while AJ Allmendinger will take over driving duties of the No. 51 for Phoenix Racing, which …

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Truckin’ Thursdays: Records, Roots and Championships

Oct 11, 2012
With the Camping World Truck Series off for the next couple weeks, it’s time for teams and drivers alike to take a step back and regroup in preparation for the final four races of the season. Of course, along with off weeks comes a lack of news coming out of the series. In fact, it’s almost as if the series doesn’t exist during their breaks, so this week, I bring you a few random thoughts and observations. *Record Breaking Year* Parker Kligerman’s victory last weekend at Talladega Superspeedway marked the eighth different first-time winner (John King – Daytona, James Buescher – Kansas, Justin Lofton – Charlotte, Joey Coulter – Pocono, Nelson Piquet Jr. – Michigan, Ty Dillon – Atlanta, Ryan Blaney – Iowa) the series has seen this season. It breaks the previous record of seven set in 1997 and matched in 1998.
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